Saving Me, Saving You
by Ducky2196
Summary: Ollie Queen meets Felicity Smoak while she is tutoring Thea at high school and is instantly intrigued by her but Felicity isn't interested in anything but what she needs to do. But when the friendship grows, Felicity becomes one of his closest friends. But when he disappears the world goes on without him. Or does it? What happens when Oliver Queen comes home?
1. No Secrets

Felicity gingerly placed her knuckles on the large wooden door. She hesitated though - it had been slightly open and she could head Mrs. Queen and Mr. Queen speaking together someone inside. "Oliver please. You need to stop this. It's getting ridiculous. Getting arrested for being drunk in public? Arrested for urinating on a police officer? We did not raise you like this!" Mrs. Queen hesitated for a moment and Felicity decided that she would take her opportunity while she could. She really didn't want to interrupt but she needed to say her goodbyes.

Knocking lightly, she was greeted with Mr. Queen's voice, calling her in. "I'm sorry to interrupt Mrs. Queen, Mr. Queen but I'm heading off now. I just wanted to let you know that Thea did really well today. She is really getting the hang of it." Felicity really was happy for the younger Queen. She had made great progress the last couple of months, she was really proud of Thea.

"Oh Felicity, it's no interruption. Thank you so much for coming today. I know it's getting close to Christmas but we wanted to keep Thea on track." Mrs. Queen smiled back at Felicity; Moira had loved seeing Thea smile the way she had when she was able to understand her school work. "Will you be joining us on Saturday night?"

Felicity held a blank stare with Mrs. Queen, she honestly had no idea what she was talking about. The silence filled the room and that's when she noticed the Oliver - Thea's older, womanising brother - was staring at her as well. He looked angry but bored at the same time. Clearly what she had walking into wasn't the first of those conversations. "I'm sorry, what's Saturday night?"

Mr. Queen smiled, "Clearly Thea had forgotten to mention it. She had been very excited to ask you, some things slip that girls mind I'll tell you. Saturday night is the Christmas Gala dinner we host every year. We would love for you to join us." Mrs. Queen and Mr. Queen watched her expectantly but Oliver had turned away, almost huffing at the nuisance of their conversation, they had always been friendly to each other when they saw each other but clearly, he was annoyed by how his parents had been talking to him. He crossed his arms over his chest, he looked like a petulant child - not a 20-year-old man.

Felicity's lips formed into a small 'o' shape as she thought about what was being asked of her. The small sound outside the door pulled her from her thoughts, the quiet little squeak that could only have been Thea as she waited for her answer. "Oh well thank you both. I don't actually celebrate Christmas, being Jewish and all. I mean we do celebrate Hanukkah that happens to be at the same time so I guess you could say we celebrate..." Felicity mumbled off, realising that she has been rambling. em_God, she hated when she did that_. /em

Taking a deep breath and smiled, "Thank you both. I will do my best to come Saturday night." And with another small nod of her head she moved towards the door, her cheeks burning red. As she opened the door, she collided with Thea who wrapped her arms around her waist. A loud "yay" echoing through the hallway.

Felicity smiled at the 14-year-old. She was sweet girl, who was bright and kind and smart and also fairly mature for her age. Felicity liked hanging out with her when she could, sure there was 4 years between them but Thea didn't look at her like she was crazy for being so smart and she wasn't mean to her either. And Felicity never looked at Thea like she was just a spoiled teenager with too much money and no desire to do anything with her life. "Come on kiddo, I gotta go. I'll see you on the weekend though..." but before she could move, Thea smiled.

"You know you have to dress up right? It's a gala dinner not one of Ollie's wild parties." Thea raised her eyebrow over Felicity's shoulder, Felicity feeling the presence of Oliver behind her. "Isn't that right Ollie, you gotta wear a suit and we gotta wear dresses! Oh! I know what I want for my birthday now from you!"

Oliver rolled his eyes, "Speedy, you can't just ask people for things. It's rude." Oliver was now standing next to Felicity. Felicity hated how tall he was compared to her, it always made her feel really small. She took him in, his hair long enough that it was pretty shaggy, he really did need a haircut, she always thought that every time she say him. They'd had conversations together over the last 12 months, some would even say they were friends but they still didn't know that much about each other, not really.

Although Felicity would be kidding herself if she didn't find him handsome. Of course, she did but he was a playboy man child who preferred drinking, parties, girls and drugs. Someone she really didn't want to be around for too long of periods of time, especially when he got together with all his friends. Which is why he she had never, not even once, stuck around for one of his parties if she was there with Thea. But he was polite to her and that's all that she really cared about.

"No, I know that but please! Felicity I know you're poor so I want to take you shopping and get your hair done and nails!" Thea squealed a little more bouncing on her feet as she got even more excited.

Oliver must have noticed Felicity go beetroot red at the comment, Thea did let her mouth run away from her when she was excited, much like Felicity would babble when she got nervous. "Thea!" His voice was sharp and to the point, getting his sisters attention. "That was really rude to say. Apologise"

em_Wow he really was paying attention to her today._ /emFelicity shuffled on her feet, hiding her face from Oliver. It was true, she didn't have much money to her name. Her mother could barely afford her own rent so Felicity had to make do with what she could. The money from tutoring Thea really did help though, the Queen's really looked after her. Felicity ducked her head away from Oliver though, she didn't really feel embarrassed but she also didn't like everyone knowing.

"Oh fine. I'm sorry Felicity but please! It's on me! I promise, you don't have to worry about it at all."

Felicity hesitated. She really didn't want any of this, she really didn't need the charity. "Thea come on; I'm not sure Felicity really wants you to go buying her stuff." It was like he had read her mind. Oliver roller his eyes at his younger sister.

"Hey it's my birthday tomorrow and this is what I want to do." She just watched Felicity, waiting for her give any sort of indication of what was going to happen next.

"As long as it's nothing too crazy..." as soon as the words slipped from her mouth Felicity had regretted it. Thea jumped up and down and ran to her room quickly, shouting that they would go now and she just needed her purse. Swallowing deeply Felicity huffed. What had she gotten into?

"Good luck!" Oliver laugher by her side. It was a good laugh, light and happy.

"Could you have said no to her?" Felicity raised her eyebrow at Oliver, smirking when the smile fell from his lips. Shaking his head.

"No. No I could not." He shook his head before moving away from Felicity, a quick glance before he was gone. Sauntering down the hallway to god knows where.

Moments later, Thea thumped her way back to Felicity before grabbing her hand and pulling her from the house, Felicity groaning as they went.

Thea was so excited to finally have Felicity go shopping with her, it was something she has tried to do for the last few months but something always got in the way, or Felicity just didn't really want to go.

Thea loved Felicity; she was the sister she never had. The one person who didn't look at her like a Queen or a silly little girl, someone who just skated through life. Felicity would talk to Thea about her wants and desires, the things she wanted from life. She spoke to her like a grown up and considering the family she came from, Thea loved that she wasn't treated like a kid by at least one person she knew.

Felicity was there for her first real crush, her first freak out with her period, her first real talk about how she was coping in life. Felicity had started tutoring Thea when she had just started junior high, almost 2 years ago and they had hit it off straight away.

It was a happy day between the two, mani-pedis were something that Felicity was happy with, it didn't cost much so she wasn't too upset for Thea to pay, not that she had a choice anyway before she had even been finished, Thea had given her credit card and paid for it all. Felicity really did hate handouts; she didn't need them or want them but she also know that Thea was stubborn and wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Have you thought about dying your hair?" Someone piped up from behind Felicity, a younger man standing next to Thea whose eyes were wide with excitement. em_Oh no._ /em

"Oh Felicity! That would be so good! Please let's try it! Do you think red? Or how about black? Or what about blonde?!" Thea bouncer again. Not even letting Felicity protest at all.

Eugh. She didn't want to go black again, she'd been through her Goth stage in her first year at MIT. She didn't want that again. Red or blonde, now that was something she hadn't thought about before and it didn't late long before the hairdresser had brought over wigs to try on to see which colour, she would like the best.

In the end, dying her hair was not something Felicity had really wanted to do, so instead they had just moved on to dress shopping but not before Felicity had been forced to agree to getting her hair and make-up done for the gala dinner with Thea and her hair and make-up artist.

"Felicity, what do you think of this one?" Thea held up a bright yellow dress that honestly looked like it would cover Felicity's chest. Scrunching up her nose, Felicity shook her head, Thea sighed. "Well what do you want to wear?" But Felicity had already found the dress she wanted to wear that night. She had seen it on the rack, staring back at her like it was calling to her.

Felicity looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing her hands over her stomach, feeling the material under her touch. She sighed, how the hell did she get roped into this?

A gala dinner?

A gala dinner at the Queen Mansion?

A gala dinner at the Queen Mansion with hundreds of emreally/em wealthy people.

It's not like she didn't like the Queens, Mrs Queen has always been so amazing to her but a gala dinner? This was em_not_/em Felicity. She didn't belong at parties like that but she has promised Thea she would come and so that's what her was doing. She just had no idea how she was going to cope.

Glancing at herself once more, Felicity dropped her head before moving towards her front door, grabbing her clutch and jacket waiting for her cab.

It was about 30 minutes before she had made it to the mansion, Felicity leaned forward in her seat, her mouth opening in surprise. The whole mansion was lit up like, well, a Christmas Tree. It looked amazing, the soft yellow lights were all around the outside of the house, lighting up the way in.

Slowly, Felicity made her way up the steps, her feels clicking softly against the marble tiles. Once inside, she had slipped off her coat, giving it to the young man who was waiting by the coat closet, no doubt getting bored by just standing there.

"Oh Felicity. Dear you absolutely wonderful." Mrs. Queen greeted Felicity with outstretched arms, bringing her into a warm hug. "Honestly this dress looks amazing on you." Mrs. Queen looked her over once more, smiling brightly.

Felicity blushed deeply, "Thank you Mrs Queen, I hope it's alright..." Felicity had been worried that the dress wouldn't be appropriate for the dinner, but the smile on Mrs. Queen's face told her otherwise. "This place looks incredible…" She looked around, the lights from outside had made their way inside, the whole bottom level of the house. There were people everywhere, music and drinks. She was feeling so overwhelmed already, her hands were already starting to shake.

"Please enjoy yourself, Thea is around here somewhere, I'm sure Oliver is as well…" Mrs Queen had barely finished her sentence before she was pulled away by someone wanting to talk to her about something. Smiling politely, Felicity moved further into the ballroom, her hands suddenly shaking even more as she became more overwhelmed by the people around her.

"Oh! Felicity! You look gorgeous!" Thea's voice pulled Felicity from her thoughts as she turned around, finding the young girl coming her way, Thea bouncing on her heels, the flowing blue dress swinging around her knees. "Seriously, you look so hot!" Thea made her turn around on the spot, shaking her head in disbelief.

Before Felicity could say anything, Thea grabbed her by the hand, pulling her further into the large group of people, introducing her to some of her other friends that were already there. Felicity just smiled and greeted them politely, she was out of place and very unsure of herself around these people. After about 30 minutes of talking to Thea and her friends, Felicity moved away from the group, needing more air than what there was in the ballroom.

To say Oliver hated these sorts of parties was an understatement, they were always so stiff and uptight. Thankfully Tommy was there to keep him entertained – that and alcohol – plus a few of his parents' friends had brought they own kids, most of them his age or a little younger…and most of the girls were always willing for a good time. Something that he was always willing for. Smirking to himself, he waited for Tommy to bring him a drink, his eyes scanning the crowd to see which girl he would approach next, someone who would no doubt make the night a little less boring.

Squealing caught his attention and he glanced up to find Thea rushing quickly through the crowd of people, straight for a girl who looked not much younger than him. He could only see her head, her dark hair in a very loose braid to one side but it wasn't until he watched Thea spin the girl around that he realise that it was Felicity.

Pushing himself off the bar, he watched her closely, taking in her dress. It was a deep moss green dress that hugged her body tightly before flowing down from her hips but it was the right side that really caught his attention, down her right arm was a sleeve, wrapping tightly around her whole arm, all the way down to her wrist.

emWow/em.

Oliver couldn't believe he was looking at the same girl who would usually walk around in jeans and an over-sized hoodie. He smiled brightly at the girl he could see, from where he was she looked so happy and care free with Thea, something that for some reason he suddenly hoped he would see more of.

Before he could move towards the two girls, Tommy was back by his side, drink in hand, already pointing out a couple of girls they hoped would keep them bust through the night. And as suddenly as his thoughts towards Felicity had come, they were gone. Already replaced by the busty brunette that had walked by him.

Taking a deep breath of the cold air around her, Felicity let her shoulders drop, the tension in her body slowly releasing. Air, that's what she had needed, air. And out in the backyard of Queen Manor, there was a lot of air for her.

"Hey you shouldn't be out here"

Felicity jumped at the voice behind her, turning quickly she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, embarrassed at being caught somewhere she wasn't meant to be. "I'm sorry I was just..." but the words died off as she came face to face with Oliver and that stupid smirk on his face. Felicity rolled her eyes at him before turning back to the pond in front of her.

He laughed by her side; he knew it would be funny to freak her out. Standing quietly by her side, Oliver almost felt at peace. He always knew there the was something about this girl. Sure, he'd tried to hit on her when he'd first met her, he distinctly remembers seeing her in the hallway one Saturday afternoon, no doubt heading towards Thea's room. He'd wandered out after a heavy night of drinking - some girl in his bed. Closing the door to his room to find her staring at him, her eyes skirting over his bare chest. He remembers smirking to himself knowing that she had been checking him out.

But he quickly found out that Felicity was not as easy as he expected or was hoping. She was a young girl and he was keen. What do you want him to do? But she had just rolled her eyes the next time he had approached her, burying her nose in her book and ignoring him. emNot/em what Oliver Queen was used to.

And so, he'd tried again, this time he had approached her when she was leaving the house one Thursday night. Again, she just looked him straight in the eyes, raised her eyebrow at him and he found himself fumbling over his words causing another raised eyebrow before she walked out the door. He could swear he had heard his father smirking from behind him.

Felicity had caught his attention – but she more than just a conquest now but she intrigued him. Not because she could resist him but because she was interesting. He had heard her tutoring Thea or speaking to his parents, she was smart and funny. Scratching the back of his neck he moved back into the house, trying to get her out of his head.

The third time he had approached her she was sitting at the counter in the kitchen waiting for Thea to get home from school. Not much was said between them until he placed a glass of Coke in front of her. "How are you today?" It was a soft question, testing to see if she'd throw the glass at him or bite his head off.

Felicity eyed Oliver for a moment before smiling a bright smile at him. It had been warm outside, he had been walking around in just a singlet and shorts, Felicity noting that he was fit, not overly buff but he had a good body. Her cheeks reddening at the thought and instantly deepening when she realised that she'd said it out loud.

Thankfully Oliver just laughed, his eyes brightening at her words, shaking his head before he sat across from her, reaching out for her books, becoming very interested in what she was reading. Felicity was thankful that he didn't mention it again.

They'd gotten along after that, holding a conversation together, laughing together. They weren't close in the sense of the word but it was nice having her around and Felicity enjoyed his company. He was different around her, he wasn't Ollie Queen that she had heard so much about, he was just Oliver.

A shiver next to him caught his attention. "Here..." before Felicity could protest, Oliver had slipped his jacket off his shoulders and put it around hers. A smile to thank him was returned while she pulled the jacket closer to her body. "So ... why are you out here anyway? I mean the party is in there." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder the house behind him. Somehow, they'd moved together, walking towards the small bench chair that was only steps away, sitting down together.

Felicity shrugged a little wrapping her arms around herself a little more, holding onto his jacket. "Did something happen? Did someone say something? Did someone emdo/em something?" His voice quickened a little. He knew how some of his drunk friends could be.

"Trust me Oliver, I can handle someone saying something about me or too me. And no, no one did anything to me…" She almost laughed, shaking her head. So, Oliver became silent just enjoying the moment with her.

"I loved visiting parks, the trees and ponds, the flowers and the birds. I always felt calm there. Like nothing else mattered really. Like I wasn't alone in the world or that the world wasn't cruel." Felicity couldn't look at Oliver, why the hell was she telling him this? She should have been freaking out about telling him this story but he calmed her, he was kind and caring and she knew that the playboy persona that he showed the world was just a cover.

"My mum is...well...my mum" Oliver nodded slowly beside her, letting her talk. "And I don't really know what my father was coz he abandoned us..." Oliver groaned lightly, his jaw tightening at the thought of someone abandoning Felicity as a child. He felt a sort of pain when she spoke. Felicity never took her eyes off the water, blinking back tears when she thought of the hurt that came from her father leaving.

"I basically grew up on my own, mum was always working. I'd do homework at home or at the bar she worked at. My school didn't really cater to smart kids but I would get school work for kids that were two grades above me. I was always the weird one. You know, the geeky kid was glasses." She huffed a laugh; Felicity hated her experiences at school.

"But staring out at a pond or a lake or to tree at night, I always wanted to believe that somewhere in the world there was fairies who could make it all better. Just waiting to make my wishes come true. My wish of not being alone or not being different." Felicity twisted her hands together, a nervous habit she had acquired many years ago.

Oliver sat in silence, not sure how to reach out to her. He might have been a spoiled brat but he wasn't an idiot. Slowly he reached out his hand and placed it against hers, a small gesture that he wanted to give.

But it didn't last long, Felicity felt herself freaking out a little at the touch of his hand and so she pulled it away from him, sending him a small smile instead. "What about spoiled playboy Oliver Queen?"

He laughed, looking away from her. "Oh you know, spending money, meeting woman, getting arrested. Oh and I'm up to 2 colleges I've dropped out of so far." He laughed again, there was that playboy persona he was using.

But Felicity just narrowed her eyes at him. Clearly not impressed with his sum up of himself. He shrugged, "Come on Felicity, you've seen and read and heard things. I'm Ollie Queen! Playboy. It's what I am and what I'm built for. I'm not smart or determined. Like I said, I've dropped out of 2 colleges in the same amount of years. I do what I do best and I do what I'm built for."

There was silence from felicity for another moment, blinking at him, shocked. "Built for? Oh, get your head out of your ass Oliver."

Now it was Oliver's time to blink at her. Was she em_angry_/em with him? "Excuse me?" He ground out.

But Felicity cut him off. "em_What you built for_? /em You have no idea what you are actually capable of do you Oliver? I hear the way you talk to Tommy about the bar you wanna open, those ideas you have are amazing. You have the ability to do so much with those ideas. And don't even get me started on your stupidity around relationships. Oliver you either want a girlfriend or you wanna screw around. But I've seen the way you look at Laurel some days, when it's just the two of you on the couch...you look at her like she is your whole world..." Felicity squares her shoulders, looking back at him to find his brow had creased and he was frowning at her. "Oliver, you have so much to offer, so much going for you. You do honestly deserve the world but you really need to start believing it. What you are em_built_/em for is to make an incredible statement on this city and I honestly believe you will work out how to do that."

Oliver watches Felicity for a moment, usually he'd throw a tantrum if anyone spoke to him the way she did but usually they would finish with telling they believed in him. Silence stretched between them, Oliver wanting to say something, anything but he just didn't know what to say.

The sudden sound of yelling and laughing caught their attention and they both looked up to see Tommy coming their way, two very underdressed by his side. "Ollie!" Tommy called out to him, his hand motioning to the girl by his left, raising an eyebrow at him.

Oliver laughed, glancing quickly at Felicity who had just rolled her eyes and looked away, shaking her head. He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her that he would listen to her words or maybe just to tell her she was wrong. But he didn't do anything just turned back to Tommy and the girls.

A smirk reformed on Oliver's lips, that mask was back as they watched Tommy and the two girls standing not far away, they were waiting for him. Standing slowly, Oliver looked down at Felicity, the smirk turning to a soft smile. "Happy Hanukkah Felicity." But the smirk was back as he turned to face his friends and what he figured what was going to be a very good night for him.

"What?" Her small voice pulled his attention back to her for a moment.

The smirk stayed in place but his eyes softened. "I don't have my head completely up my ass Felicity. I remember you telling my parents that you're Jewish..." and with that he walked away from her, his arm slinking itself around the brunette by Tommy's side, his hand sliding unapologetically to her ass.

It shocked Felicity a little. There was


	2. Friends?

**Hey all! Thanks so much for the reviews on the first chapter! This one took a little longer than I hoped but I DO have a plan in place for this story so it'll just be me actually writing it. Just an FYI this chapter jumps a little bit over the space of about 3 months**

**Please let me know what you think of this next chapter! :D**

**Chapter 2 – Friends?**

"Felicity! Please I want you to meet Walter Steele. He is my VP." Robert queen pulled Felicity over to the other man, a man she had seen around but never actually met him. Felicity smiled widely at them both.

"It's nice to meet you Ms. Smoak. I've heard wonderful things about your tutoring skills." Walter had already reached out his hand for Felicity before she had a chance to speak.

Blushing, she took his hand, "It's nice to meet you too Mr. Steele. Oh, I'm not that good - It's all Thea. She is an amazingly bright you lady. I'm very proud of what she has been able to accomplish." She really was proud of Thea. She'd come a long way from the kid who wouldn't even look at her in the eyes when she started tutoring.

Robert smiled brightly at her, laughing, "Oh I wish you were around when Oliver was at school! Might have to see if you want to tutor him in his college classes." Walter and Robert laughed loudly at each other, but Felicity just smiled.

"You know, Oliver isn't at dumb as you think. He is a lot more intelligent than everyone gives him credit for…" She just smiled brightly at the two men, watching as they looked back at her, Mr. Queen just nodding his head like he honestly didn't believe her.

Sudden movement caught their attentions, pulling them over to the side of the room, Oliver standing his with hands on some girls hips – the same girl that Tommy had called him over to when they were outside – his head against her shoulder, her lips against his. Felicity rolling her eyes at the sight, she really wanted to prove his father wrong but this scene in front of them was _not_ helping her cause at all.

Silence passed over them for a moment, Felicity knowing that she really shouldn't say any more about his son, something that would probably get her into trouble. But then Mr. Queen spoke, "How is MIT treating you Felicity? I hear you are well ahead of your subjects…" Felicity nodded, thankful to have the subject changed towards something she could actually talk about. Turning back towards Mr Queen and Walter.

"That's wonderful news, make this subject a little easier to bring up then…" Walter spoke next to her, the crease in her forehead appearing as Felicity became confused about what they were talking about. "Well Robert and I have a proposition for you Ms Smoak…What would you say to a 2-year internship with Queen Consolidated which, if at the end you enjoy what you do, would then turn into a permanent position…"

Felicity blinked back at the two men, completely unsure of what they had just said. "Are you…? What are you…? I mean…" Felicity closed her eyes for a moment, "3…2…1." Before taking a breath and opening them, finding both men looking back at her with a slightly amused look on their faces. "Yes…I meant absolutely; QC has always been a dream of mine. Yes…100 times yes Mr Queen." Her smile could not have been any wider than it was at that moment.

Walter called over a waiter, reaching for 3 glasses of champagne, one for him, one for Mr. Queen and one for Felicity, her hand hesitantly reaching out for the glass, taking it slowly, considering she was still under age to drink. But the smiles on Walter's and Mr. Queen's face told her it was ok; tonight, was going to be a celebration. "To a new future for the Queen Consolidated." The three raised their glasses, taking a drink. "Please come by QC on Monday so we can sort all the details out but I think we can arrange something that will work for you and the company." And with that both men left Felicity standing in the middle of the room, glass of champagne to her lips and complete and utter shock covering her face.

"Oh Felicity, this party is so boring! Can we go and something else?" Thea's voice suddenly caught Felicity's attention, the young girl standing in front of her before Felicity even had time to think. Tilting her head, Thea I'd Felicity closer, "What's wrong you?"

Felicity blinked at Thea for a second, still not really believing what had just happened. "I ah…I think I just got a job…your father just offered me an internship with QC…" Thea squealed and jumped into Felicity's arms, pushing her backwards slightly, "Thea…" Felicity laughed at the young girl in her arms, not realising that she had pulled the attention of both her mother and older brother who were both by her side in a instant, thinking something was wrong.

"Thea, what has gotten into you…" Mrs. Queen tired to hush her daughter, others had been glancing in their direction.

Thea whined at her mother, "But mum…" The look on her mother's face quietened her down instantly.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Queen, ah…I just told Thea that Mr. Queen and Mr. Steele have just offered me an internship and job with QC…" Mrs. Queen smiled brightly at Felicity and Thea, nodding her head knowingly before moving away, clearly it was something that she had already known about but was waiting for her husband to tell Felicity about.

Thea turned to Oliver, "Ollie, isn't that great! Felicity can be around even more now! Oh! Food…" before she ran off towards a plate of food that she had seen coming her way, leaving Felicity and Oliver standing together.

Felicity turned towards Oliver, taking in his appearance, his shirt was no longer tucked in, jacket long gone. His long hair was a mess and the red lipstick that was on the collar of his shirt also snuck it's way down the side of his neck. Clearly, he had been up to some fun in the short time since she had seen him outside to now.

"You look like you've had your fun already…you must be fast…" Her hand went straight to her forehead, closing her eyes tightly at the fact that Oliver was staring back at her, "Eugh, my brain thinks of the worst way to say things…What I mean to say is that I haven't been in here that long since I saw you outside…you move fast…I'm going to stop talking." She looked back at Oliver slowly, finding that he was looking back at her with a raised eyebrow.

Oliver smirked back at Felicity, he knew she hated when she babbled the way she was and she had always asked him to stop her from babbling but he honestly couldn't bring himself to do it, he learned so much about Felicity when she went off on a tangent. "So, working at QC…congratulations Felicity…" He leaned over, slowly placing his arms around her in a hug, giving her a chance to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn't, she just placed her arms around him, returning his hug, holding him a little longer than she probably should have.

Pulling away, Felicity brushed a stray hair away from her face, smiling brightly at him, "Thank you Oliver. That means a lot…hey you never know; we might be working together one day…" She laughed, watching his eyes darken a little and his smile faulter.

Oliver cleared this throat, looking up and over Felicity's head for a moment, hoping that it would take away from her looking into his eyes. "Yeah, I don't know about that, QC…not really my thing…" He shrugged when he looked back down at her, her head resting slightly to the side as she looked back at him, her red lips pursed slightly in disbelief. "Come on Felicity…could you imagine me in a business suit and tie?" He huffed out a laugh.

_Oh too late…_Felicity thought to herself to herself as she looked over him, her cheek flushing at the thought of Oliver wearing a suit, his tie hanging low around his neck and his sleeves rolled up above his elbows. "Felicity?" Her eyes snapped up towards his, suddenly realising that she had been staring at his chest. "You already imagined me in a business suit?" He smirked at her, watching her cheeks flush even more.

Deciding that he was going to take some pity on her, Oliver continued, "Nah you know me and Tommy are gonna open the best night club in the city…now that would be a job…" He looked up again, this time imagining all the nights they would be having at the bar, the drinks, the music, the girls.

"Oh Oliver…your little friend is showing…" She huffed at his distant look, her eyes raking down his body to make her point before she turned away from him, smirking to herself at the open mouth expression on his face as she spoke. But as she walked away from him, his mouth only fell open a little more, the sight of her walking away from him, the back of her dress and her _ass_ swaying with each step she took was enough to really make his little friend show.

* * *

Felicity trotted down the stairs, the echoing sounds of loud music and people laughing had already caught her attention when she was upstairs with Thea. Oliver was throwing a 'Going back to College Party,' ironically, he was starting at this third college in as many years. The Queen parents were away for the next couple of weeks which meant that Oliver was supposed to be looking after Thea but he was more interested in partying. No surprise there really.

Turning to the younger girl, Felicity noticed that she seemed unsure of herself, looking around at the hordes of people that were too drunk to know what was happening. "You alright?" Felicity reached for Thea, her hand touching Thea's elbow, noticing that she was holding herself a little tighter.

Thea just nodded at Felicity, clearly unsure about herself around the gigantic crowd. "Hey how about you go and grab a bag, pack some stuff for the weekend and you can stay with me and I'll go and tell your brother that I'll drop you at school on Monday morning before I head to MIT…" Thea looked completely relieved when Felicity suggested that she stay with her. Felicity's heart broke a little to see the sadness in the young girls' eyes.

Thumping down the rest of the stairs, Felicity looked around at the girls in the house, short skirts, tight dresses, some wearing just bikinis, having taken use of the pool in the back yard because of the warm temperature that had found its way into Starling. Briefly looking down at herself, Felicity know she didn't fit into this world, she was wearing shorts and converse low tops, her t shirt sitting loosely around her chest and arms.

She moved around the house effortlessly, knowing the house like the back of her hand, trying not to bump into too many drunk people, not wanting anything spilled on her clothing. Sighing, she knew that this was typical of Ollie Queen and his 'friends', not that she had been introduced to any of them.

She found Oliver and Tommy easily, someone who she had met once or twice but again, Oliver had never really been introduced to his best friend officially. "Hey Oliver…" She called out, watching as the two boys, each with a girl on their laps, the girl sitting on Oliver's lap, her had her shoulder to his chest, her legs swung over his lap, her arms around his shoulders and her lips against his neck.

Oliver looked up at Felicity, finding himself smiling up at her, taking her all in. Blinking he waited for her to keep talking, "…So I'm gonna take Thea home with me. This…" she motioned around her to the people, the drinking and the half-naked girls, "…really isn't where she should be. So can you please let your parents know that I am going to take her to school on Monday morning before I go MIT…"

Oliver blinked back at Felicity, the smile dropping from his lips at her words. "Oh…yeah sure ok. Are you sure that's what you wanna do Thea?" He looked over Felicity's shoulder, his eyes connecting with his younger sister, who had her arms wrapped around her chest, holding herself tightly, getting bumped around by a couple who came running past them.

"Yeah Ollie…I wanna go with Felicity…" Oliver frowned at his sister, he hated that she looked so incredible uncomfortable at the moment. He nodded mutely at his sister, watching as she hurried away from the scene, taking her bag with her. He made to open his mouth, to say something to Felicity but she just shook her head.

"Maybe you should start to grown up Oliver. Your sister is 14 years old and here you are…throwing parties when you are supposed to be looking after her. Is this really the influence you want to have on her?" There was a slight snicker from the other sitting around the fire pit with Oliver, his mouth opening and closing again at her words. Sighing, Felicity dropped her head, "Have a good start at college on Monday Oliver." She turned on her heals, leaving him to watch her go. A sadness coming over him.

The beer in his hand and the girl on his lap suddenly becoming increasingly interesting. That should have been his first clue, Oliver had always tried to hide from responsibility, yes he loved his baby sister, yes he would do anything to look after her, yes he would do all he could to make sure she was safe but he also knew the fear of starting at a new college and the heavy weight that settled on his shoulder's knowing that his family would be putting more responsibility on him once again.

A light giggle caught his attention once more, his ear finally tearing from where Felicity had been, he brought them back the girl on his lap, a fake smile widening on his own lips as he pulled her into him, his lips crushing down against her.

* * *

Knocking loudly on the theatre room door, Felicity waited to be let in - she knew better than to just walk into a room where Oliver was, considering she knew he wasn't alone in there. There was mostly silence for a moment, the only sound coming from whatever movie was being played. But she knew he was just trying to get her to go away. Sighing, Felicity knocked again, "Oliver! Come on, I know you're in there!"

It had been 12 weeks since they had started back at college, surprisingly Oliver had been able to stay in this one for that long and Felicity was still tutoring Thea every second day, at MIT 3 days a week and QC the other two days. So far, her internship had been going amazingly well for her, Mr Queen and Walter were amazing at helping her juggle everything she needed to do and the extra money was definitely coming in handy.

Then the sound of shuffling happened, a quick "Yeah" grumbled next. And so she opened the door, instantly rolling her eyes at the sight in front of her. Oliver and whatever her name was, were on a single lounge together, him on top of her, both shirtless, with red nail marks down his back, his hair was a mess. Of course, he was shirtless, always shirtless.

Glancing over his shoulder at Felicity, Oliver smirked, "What's up?" Wow he really didn't care about the situation she had walked into. Clearly neither did the girl coz she started sucking on his neck again, his eyelids fluttered at he looked at Felicity.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving now. And please remind you parents that I will be in later after dinner on Thursday instead of straight after school." But Oliver was barely paying attention, the girl's hand had slipped down his chest and into his pants - right in front of Felicity.

"Yeah...yeah ok..." was all Oliver could stutter out as Felicity turned her back and closed the door behind her, the last few things she heard was "_how many girlfriends do you have?_" And then a low reply from Oliver.

* * *

God this girl was turning him on. Her nails down his back, the way she bit down on his neck, he was going to take her, he was going to make her scream.

Two short, hard knocks on the door pulled his from his thoughts briefly but he turned back to the girl's breast instantly, taking it in her mouth. The way she pulled on his long hair was making him harder every second.

Two more sharp knocks on the door made him groan, a quick sharp intake of breath when he heard "Oliver! Come on, I know you're in there!" _Felicity_

Shuffling quickly, Oliver reached for the blanket that had fallen on the floor, covering the girl under him before calling out a "Yeah".

Keeping his back to Felicity, he looked over his shoulder when she opened the door, not missing the roll of the eyes she gave him when she had seen the position he was in.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving now. And please remind you parents that I will be in later after dinner on Thursday instead of straight after school." He has heard the words that she had said but barely understood them, the girl having put her lips back to his neck, sucking the skin harshly. He knew he should be focused on Felicity right now but god it felt good.

"Yeah...yeah ok..." was all he could mumble out; the girl's hand having found its way into his pants unashamedly. God this girl was going to kill him.

As Felicity turned to close the door and leave, the girls voice caught his attention, "How many girlfriends do you have?"

His lips were back to her now, his voice was low, "She's no one. She's nothing." And just as he heard the click of the door somewhere in the background, Oliver went back to the task underneath him.

* * *

Oliver all but skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, he had slept _really_ well last night, smirking to himself as he remembered the girl who had been in his bed. Not sure of her name but it was a fun night. Coming around the corner he stopped in his tracks to see Felicity sitting at the kitchen bench, orange juice in her hand, smiling at Raisa.

"Good morning." He chirped happily, heading towards the fridge to get himself something to drink but it didn't take long before he realises that it was only Raisa who had returned the good morning. Closing the fridge slowly he glanced towards Felicity who had her head down, suddenly focused on something that only she could see.

Glancing at Raisa, she just turned away, leaving the kitchen to just the two of them. Slowly he moved towards the bar stool next to Felicity, his knee brushing her bare one as he sat but she sat up suddenly, straightening her back and moving away from him. Felicity didn't even look at him by her side. "Have I don't something to upset you Felicity?" He honestly had no idea what could have caused her to be acting so cold towards him.

"It's _nothing._" The way the word fell from her mouth told him that it was something specific.

"Hey come on. What's up?" Trying to get her to look at him but she still kept her head down.

Silence stretched between them for a few more moments, Oliver deciding it was probably time to leave her alone. But as he rose from his seat, her small voice caught his attention. "I heard what you said the other day."

Glancing up at Oliver, felicity found that he was looking at her with a confused look. She sighed, "When I was leaving the other night - when you and that girl were in the theatre room - I heard you tell her that I was no one. You said I was _nothing_." She looked away from him again, not really wanting him to see that hearing those words from him had actually made her tear up, causing her blink a few times to try and stop them from falling.

Oliver blinked are her, he didn't really remember saying those words but at the same time he couldn't actually deny that they had been said, obviously he had some something to upset her so much. Sighing deeply, he dropped his head, "Oh Felicity. I didn't mean it that way. I don't even remember saying it to be honest. Come on, we are friends...you know me better than that."

Oh, those were clearly not the right words for him to say.

"Friends? You actually think we are _friends_? Look Oliver, I don't stay up late at night thinking about being friends with you. Wondering if I'd be privileged enough to even be considering a friend by playboy Ollie Queen. And if we aren't friends then so be it…but I just never thought you would actually be so cruel."

Oliver's mouth opened and closed. What the hell could he say to that? He honestly thought they were friends, he wanted to be friends with her but obviously he had actually said what she had heard and he honestly didn't know why he had said it.

Before he could speak, Thea's voice came around the corner. "Ready to go?" But she looked between the two, clearly seeing that something had happened. "What's going on?"

Felicity quickly jumped off the stool, making her way Thea's side. "It's ok Thea. It's _nothing_..." before moving towards the front door, really needing to leave.

**What do you guys think? Please let me know :) **


	3. I Miss You

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and left Kudos! it feels amazing to know that you are all reading and loving this one! Please enjoy the Christmas present that i'm leaving for you :) Someone mentioned about Moira liking Felicity now but what about when she gets together with Oliver...you know i'd thought about that and couldn't work out how it would it work. I like the idea of it and i think I have worked out a plan :D so please...i hope you can wait to see hehe**

**Just an FYI - a lot of this story takes place after the boat accident so young Oliver and Felicity won't be hanging around too much but i promise - it'll be worth it (I hope!)**

**Chapter 3 – I Miss You**

Thea placed her knuckles against Oliver's bedroom door. It had been a couple of days since she had been shopping with Felicity, clearly something had happened between her and her brother and it was upsetting them both. Felicity wouldn't tell Thea what was wrong but the girl wasn't so young that she couldn't make her own thoughts on what her brother had done. Knocking lightly on the wooden door, Thea felt somewhat surprised that he was actually home. It was a Friday night after all and he was usually never home - or Tommy was there making an absolute mess of things.

"Ollie..." she softly spoke as she pushed the door open, half expecting him to be getting dressed to leave for the night. But she found him lying on his bed, a simple t shirt and shorts on his body, barefoot and all. Was he really not going out tonight?

"Hey Speedy. What's up?" He looked over at his sister, placing his phone down on his chest when she didn't come over. Usually she would be right by his side, hanging off him at all chances that she got. "You coming..." he placed his hand on the bed next to him, motioning for her come to his side.

Instantly her smile grew wider, she headed towards her brother, jumping on his bed. "I miss you Ollie." She whispered as she snuggled into his side, his arms wrapping around her. It was then that she noticed the TV was playing in the background, some movie she didn't recognise. They fell into comfortable silence, just enjoying being together again. It was something that didn't happen much anymore. Oliver was either out at parties or with Laurel or some other girl and Thea was either at school or with her parents or on her own.

_Her own_.

That's the one she hated the most.

Sighing deeply, Thea moved to looked toward her brother really wanting to speak to him but not sure of what to say. "Hey Ollie..." he looked down at her, intrigued by her soft voice. She sounded so unsure of herself.

He let her sit for a moment, waiting to see what she'll say or do. But when it became clear that she wasn't going to speak, he did instead. "Hey, what's going on Speedy... you know you can tell me anything." He held her closer, trying to gage what was happening in her head.

"I miss you Ollie. You're always out or with Tommy or with Laurel. I just...miss my big brother." She shrugged against him. Her words more a mumble than anything. But she felt Oliver hug her tightly.

"Oh Speedy, I haven't gone anywhere. I'm still your brother."

But this caused her to shoot up and away from his arms. "Haven't gone anywhere _now_. But you think I haven't heard mum and dad talking? You got arrested not long ago...again! Last week you had a party when you were supposed to be looking after me! We promised that we would go to the movies that night. You said we could go and eat burgers and you would take me to the movies!" She was upset, holding herself away from his reach.

Oliver closed his eyes, groaning to himself, "Oh Speedy, I am so sorry…that's why you went with Felicity…" He knew he shouldn't have had a party when he was supposed to be looking after Thea but Tommy had mentioned it and he had just ran with it, completely forgetting about the promise he had made.

"You made me a promise Ollie and you broke it. Just so you could hook up with some random girl!" This made Oliver blink, he knew his sister was young and he had never expected her to know what he did or even think about what he did but he should have known that all the times he was walked out of his bedroom with a girl on his arm or the comments his parent's would make would start to make sense to her.

He swallowed as Thea looked away, tears forming in her eyes. "You're not my brother anymore. Not really…" And with that she moved from his room, heading straight out the bedroom door to her hiding spot. The same place she had gone every time her parents would argue or she was feeling scared or upset. But every time Oliver would come and find her, giving her time to calm down before he would huddle in by her side, letting her cry on his shoulder.

This was different, she had never said anything like that to him and for the first time in a long time, he was starting to question himself. He never wanted to disappoint his little sister; she had always looked up to him, she had always trusted him to be her big brother but it was clear that he was losing that trust. Little by little he was losing that little girl who loved him unconditionally.

Did he need to make a change? Was that something he could do? Was that something he wanted to do?

Slipping from his bed, Oliver made his way towards the little hideout that she had taken up, finding a small doorway underneath a staircase one night years ago and that's where he found her. Huddled up under the stairs, he slipped – awkwardly – into the small pace next to her, this seemed easier when they were both younger. Silence came over them both, Oliver with his feet planted on the ground, his knees bent up as he looked at Thea, she mimicked his position but her head was resting against the top of her knees.

"Thea…I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, honestly I really didn't mean to forget about taking you to the movies." He reached out to touch her, he tried but she moved away from him, further into the corner of the small space.

"But you did…" She still wouldn't look at him, her voice small, smaller than that of a 14 year old girl "I want my Ollie back…" God he hated hearing her speak like that. It was one thing to have his parents on his back about how he was acting – when he wasn't really hurting anyone – but he was now hurting his innocent sister. The one thing he had always promised himself he would never do. Sighing he nodded to no one but himself, knowing that he needed to try something new, maybe he needed to look at himself.

Slowly he tried again, reaching out his hand to place on her back, rubbing small circles on her back. "I promise, I'll try to do better…" This caused her to look up at him, her eyes softening as she looked at him, her eyes rimmed red from crying. "I promise…" He meant it, Oliver never really had to think about his actions, this parents would always bail him out, Laurel would always come back to him and Tommy would always be by his side, providing some sort of alibi if it was ever needed but Thea was the one person he had never had to worry about.

Until now.

"What happened with Felicity? Please…please tell me you didn't hook up with her. Ollie, she is my friend…I can't lose her."

Oliver blinked as he looked back at his sister, realising what she thought had happened. Something that he could honestly say _didn't_ happen.

_Felicity and Thea had wandered around the mall for a few hours, Thea talking over and over again about her school and friends and the boy she liked, Felicity giving her some attention but mostly she had zoned out, she couldn't stop thinking about what Oliver had said, what she had overheard that night. _

"_So what's going on with you and my brother?" This caught her attention as she looked back the younger girl, they had come to sit at a table in the food court – when did that happen? "I'm not stupid, I know something has happened between the two of you. What did he do? Please don't tell me that you hooked up with him." _

_But Felicity just shook her head, she really didn't want to say much to Thea, it really wasn't something that she wanted to relive. "Don't worry about it Thea. Really it's fine." But Thea knew better, something was clearly upsetting Felicity, she just hoped her brother hadn't don't anything totally stupid. _

"_Come on Felicity, Oliver likes you…you are his friend, I'm sure he didn't mean to do whatever he did…"But Felicity just looked away, taking a deep breath to try and settle herself. _

_Thinking for a moment, Felicity decided to approach the subject a different way, "Did you know that I haven't actually met Tommy…" Thea just blinked at Felicity, how was that possible? Felicity and Tommy had been in the same room more than once over the last 12 months. "Yeah...Oliver hasn't actually introduced us at all. I'm just your tutor Thea…" Thea didn't believe it, how had Oliver not actually introduced them? And there was no way that Felicity was _just_ her tutor anymore. _

Groaning, Oliver through his head back against the wall behind him, "I just" he really didn't want to tell her that he'd said something really stupid, "...she heard me say something stupid and it upset her that's all." The look on his sister's face told him that she wasn't going to let him get away with just that statement. "Fine. She heard me tell someone that she, Felicity, was no one. That she was nothing..." he had barely gotten the words out before Thea's hand raised to slap him across the shoulder.

"Ollie! That's really stupid!" he nodded; he already knew that.

He sighed, "Yeah that I know Thea, I didn't even know I'd said it. She was so heartbroken when she told me that she'd heard me say it." He shook his head, dropping his forehead to his knees like Thea had done when he had first found her.

This made Thea think of something that Felicity had told her when they had been shopping, "Did you know that Felicity hasn't met Tommy."

Oliver snorted a laugh, "Of course she had Thea. I've seen them have conversations before…"

But Thea just shook her head, "No I mean, did you know that you had never actually introduced Felicity to Tommy. She told me the other day when we went shopping. She shrugged and said that she was _just my tutor_." Thea really hated hearing Felicity talk like that about herself.

Once again, Oliver dropped his head, "Oh."

"Ollie…you have to fix this…"

He looked over to Thea once more, nodding, "Yes…yes I do."

Tommy had noticed that Oliver had been distracted the last few weeks, it had been just over a month that Tommy had noticed that Oliver had been off with the fairies, quiet and maybe a little distant, he'd been spending more time with Laurel, not wanting to go out much but wanting to stay home with her or Tommy. "Hey man…are you sure about this? I mean, if you are changing your mind about all this…" Tommy motioned around him to the empty factory.

They had decided that they would think seriously about opening the club, Tommy had more of the idea about the actual running of the club but Oliver had many more ideas about the design and set up. Something he had credited to Felicity and her overwhelming support.

"_Why aren't I surprised that Oliver Queen wants to open a club…" she laughed as she sat across from him at the table, her book spread out around her. It had become a habit for her to hang around after tutoring Thea, doing some of her own study as well. She enjoyed having Oliver as company when she needed a break. But tonight, Oliver had sat across from her in silence for about half an hour. His own paper's spread out around him. _

_She had wanted to ask him what he was doing but he had been so caught up in his sketching and note taking that she didn't want to disturb him. But curiosity had gotten the better of her. She reached over for one of the paper's closer to her before he could stop her. Her eyes had skittered over the page, taking in the details of the tables, the bar, the stage and the VIP area. _

Verdant. 

_The single word at the top of the page had caught her attention. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow waiting for him to explain. The look on his face showed that he was nervous, unsure of himself. He sighed, "Tommy and I want to open a club. There is an old factory my father owned that is now abandoned that I think would be great. I want to take the idea to him but I want to make sure I have everything I need before I do."_

_Felicity's laughter had died on her lips when she listened to what he was saying, "You've really thought this through huh?" She bit her lip, looking over the page again. "I think that maybe you should put more tables around the outside of the dance floor, even if they are just high bar tables, people like to have somewhere to lean when they come off the dance floor…" She shrugged before handing him back the page. _

_Oliver looked at the page once more, taking her advice, he sketched a few more tables, happy with the design that was coming up. _

"_I like it though. I think it's a great idea…" She didn't look up at him again, missing the kind smile he had given her in return. _

"Ollie!" Tommy was now by his side, waving his hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. Oliver shook his head, looking back at Tommy finally. "What has gotten into you man?"

Oliver sighed, "Sorry, yeah I'm alright. I just…I upset Felicity a few weeks ago and I guess I'm just trying to work out how to fix it." He rubbed his forehead; it had been weeks since she had even looked at him when she was at the mansion.

"Felicity? As in the tutor"

Oliver groaned. She had been right, he had never introduced her to Tommy. He had tried to claim that she had become such a good friend to him but he hadn't even bothered to actually show her how much her friendship had meant to him. "She's more than that man. She has become someone close to me and I said something stupid. She's so kind and pure and _good_. She is nothing like us and I hate that I'd upset her. She is one of the only people who actually believes in me…" his voice trailed off, realising just how much important she was becoming in his life.

Tommy just nodded, not really sure how to take what he was saying. Was Oliver sleeping with the girl? "Well why don't you just talk to her. Put on the Ollie Queen charm…" he laughed but quickly stopped when Oliver didn't laugh with him. "Ok…well if she had become such a good friend to you…why don't you do something for her. I'm sure you know enough about her to know what cheers her up."

That caught Oliver's attention, there was something he knew that might cheer her up, something that he could do for he that would show the he cared about her, that he listened to her. He smiled to himself at the thought of what he would do. He would need to get Thea to help him though, thankfully he was sure she would be more than willing.

Taking the chance, Tommy looked over at his friend, "Is everything alright man? Other than the whole Felicity thing? We don't go out as much anymore and if we do, it's with Laurel…I mean, when was the last time that you got blind drunk and hooked up with someone?"

That made Oliver groan, he hated how it sounded. He knew he could be honest with Tommy; they had known each other long enough that lying just wouldn't get them anywhere. "I don't know man. I just…I upset Thea as well a few weeks ago. The party we had at mine…when I hooked up with that girl near the pool…" Tommy smiled, remembering how smug Oliver had been after that little triumph.

"I had promised Thea I'd take her to dinner and a movie that night. I forgot, that's why she went home with Felicity. Thea told me that she I wasn't her brother anymore. That she didn't know who I was…it hit me, I haven't treated Thea very well recently, I haven't treated Felicity very well either. What sort of boyfriend am I to Laurel then? I guess I'm just trying do better. Maybe…I don't know. I don't really know what I'm doing but I want to show Thea that I can do better."

Tommy just nodded, he kind of understood what Oliver was saying. He always wondered why he was still in a relationship considering he could get a girl every day of the week if he wanted but he understood wanting to be better for his sister. "I get it man…I just don't want to lose my best friend either…" He clapped his hand on Oliver's back. Not really sure how well Oliver's new direction would go and how well Oliver would be able to able to keep on track but he would always support his friend.

Oliver laughed, "I'm not going anywhere Tommy…I'm still gonna be Ollie Queen…just gotta try to be better…" because that's what Thea needed, what Laurel expected and what Felicity deserved from him. "Actually, come for dinner on Thursday…I have an idea…" Oliver looked around the factory one last time, satisfied that he had made the right choice about this club and about his next plans.

Felicity pushed on the handle of the Queen Mansion front door, glad that Thea had reached out for her felt for her test the next day, it was unusual that Felicity would tutor Thea on a Thursday night but she would always help the young girl out if she needed it. She was also thankful that Walter had given her the next day off, something about her working hard during her internship and he wanted to give her a day off as a thank you. Felicity had planned on doing a whole lot of nothing the next day, something she thought she mind would need.

As she pushed on the door, Felicity all but went face first into the locked door, her body coming into contact with the hardwood. _Huh…they never lock the door when she is coming over…_Shrugging to herself, Felicity knocked on the door, listening to the echoing of the knock, she waited.

The door burst open suddenly, causing Felicity to take a step back, shocked. Thea stood there, a bright smile on her face. "Felicity! Come in!" This was strange, something was off. Thea never opened the door and she was never this happy to see Felicity for a study night.

"Thea…what is going on?" Felicity wasn't stupid.

But Thea's smile grew even more as she moved towards the kitchen, Felicity in toe. Rounding the corner, Felicity signed, "Thea I'm not really in the mood for games. I've had a really long week…" Felicity didn't like being played around with when it came to the Queen Mansion, ever since her falling out with Oliver, she didn't like spending more time there than she needed to, mainly because the longer she stayed at the mansion, the more chances she had to run into Oliver and she really didn't want that.

Coming into full view of the kitchen, Felicity stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes taking in Oliver Queen, standing by the stove, music filtering through the kitchen gently, the smell of food entering her senses. _What was going on?_

"Hey…" Oliver spoke, putting down the wooden spoon, he moved to stand near her slowly, unsure of how she'd react. "…I ah…thanks for coming…I was kinda worried you wouldn't come if I'd ask you so I asked Thea to…" He motioned towards the side door where Thea had rushed off to and out of sight. At least he had the nerve to look sheepish as he spoke.

"I don't…I don't understand…" She really didn't, she didn't even know Oliver could cook let alone that he would do something like this.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Oliver blushed, she was making Oliver Queen blush, who would have thought? "I want to apologise to you for what I said that night and how I acted the last time I saw you. It was completely not true and I was hoping that you would forgive me…"

Oliver was cut off by Tommy rushing through the wide open back door, Thea on his back, her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, "Ha! Got you now!" They laughed, Tommy skidding to a halt when he saw Felicity there. A smirk coming to his face.

"Felicity, I want to introduce you to the two most important people in my life, Thea my sister…and my best friend Tommy…" Oliver motioned towards the two, both still standing the same way that had been, "Tommy, Thea…this is Felicity. Someone who has also become a very important part of my life…" He looked towards her, gauging her reactions. Her light smile shining in the room.

Tommy gracefully dropped Thea to the ground, reaching out his hand for Felicity, which she took happily. "Felicity, it's nice to officially meet you. Now…dinner!" He lead Felicity from the room, out the open door to the backyard and down the pathway.

Thea smiled over at Oliver as the follow close by, bowls of food and drinks in their hands. "You did good big brother." But Oliver only focused on the moment that Felicity realised where they were going. Down by the pond there was a table set up with the four places for them to set, a drinks cooler by the side and food waiting for them.

Felicity turned to Oliver, slight shock coming to her face before she smiled again, still not reaching her eyes but it shone in the moon light. She was giving him a bright thank you.

Dinner went well, a lot of laughter and stories. Apologies and thank you's echoing around the table, Tommy and Oliver arguing about some stupid story or another. "Well at least I didn't get a girl a day off so she could spend the night!" Tommy laughed, Thea echoing but Oliver's smile fell from his lips and he glanced over Felicity, who had also stopped smiling, her head tilted to the side as she watched him.

"I'm gonna go and get desert…" Oliver stood suddenly from the table, glaring at Tommy as he went, rushing up the path back to the house. Felicity was on his heels, following closely behind him.

"What was that about?" her voice found him in the kitchen, his back to the doorway, shoulders slumped. She should have known he wanted _something_ in return from her.

Oliver sighed, his shoulders dropping even further. "It wasn't what it sounded like Felicity…" He almost sounded agitated. She just didn't know if it was at her or Tommy.

Silence stretched between them for a few moments, Felicity's anger growing. She spoke first, her words were quiet, "Do you really want to know why what you said upset me so much?" He turned to face her slowly, he knew there was a reason that her smile hadn't reached her eyes all night, she still wanted to speak to him about it. She did deserve that though, he knew that.

Felicity brought her hands together, right hand playing with the left, a nervous habit that Oliver had noticed in the past. He didn't want to push her, letting her speak on her own terms "Because it made me realise something Oliver - you are... we are from two different worlds…all of this," She motioned around her, the kitchen was bigger than her whole apartment. "And hearing you say I was nothing, that I was no one just reminded me of that. I mean it's taken you almost 12 months to actually introduce me to Tommy."

She sighed, leaning back against the wall she was closest to. "I just wanted you to be honest Oliver, with me and yourself. I want you to grow up, for yourself and your sister and Laurel. I just want the truth." She crossed her arms over her chest, protecting herself from him.

Oliver moved to her side, slowly placing his hands against her shoulder, "I am being honest. What I said wasn't the truth. This, now, here. This is the truth. Tommy and Thea are the two most important people in my life and I want you to be part of that. You know me better than anyone."

He didn't want to tell her that he had been trying to be better since his talk with Thea the month before, he hadn't been spending as much time going out or if he did, he always ended up back home alone or going to Laurel. He wanted to show Thea that he could be the brother she remembered and the boyfriend that Laurel deserved. He didn't want to tell Felicity because he didn't want to disappoint her that he wasn't doing _better. _

Felicity nodded after a moment, belief slowly making its way into her brain, her smile widening as she thought about how well she really did know Oliver. "Ok well then…tell me what Tommy meant…" this caused Oliver to groan and drop his head a little.

Moving back from her, Oliver rubbed the face, sliding his hands over to the back of his neck, "I know how much you hate late nights when you have to get up for work the next morning and I knew you wouldn't want to hang around here after dinner if you had to go to work, so I may have asked Walter to give you tomorrow off…" The redness in his cheeks grew again. Yeah, he was going to upset her now that she knew what he had done.

Disbelief crossed her eyes; he had done _what?_

"We thought you could stay for a movie or something, Thea doesn't have school tomorrow. I thought you might like a night in to relax with friends…" He was sounding so shy now, like he suddenly realised how stupid his idea had been. Turing away from her, Oliver shook his head, expecting her to yell and get angry. But instead he suddenly felt the gentle pull of her hand on his. She had reached out for him, her hand resting in his gently, her smile finally reaching her eyes.

**Any love? :D I am trying to show Oliver growing up a little bit but how long can that last? How long can he hold onto his new found maturity?**


	4. When I Was Your Man

**Happy New Years all! I am so glad that so many of you guys are enjoying this! Thank you for the reviews/favourites etc (and reviews/kudo on AO3), please keep them coming coz they make me want to write more :D**

**Just an FYI – I am trying to move this part of the story along quickly coz most of what I have planned happens after Oliver comes back from the island so im sorry if this feels rushed but I keep wanting to write the 'after' chapters because I have what I hope turns out to be an awesome idea! **

**Chapter 4 – When I Was Your Man**

"Yes Oliver, I am going to come past in about half an hour…No I'm just dropping something off for your dad…I have things I have to do tonight. Not all of us in the world get given everything they want without working for it…" Felicity laughed as she heard a groan from Oliver but then he muttered something along the lines of _I won't be here anyway…_ Felicity laughed, shaking her head.

Swinging her front door open quickly, Felicity stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping at the person who was standing in front of her. "Ah Oliver…I gotta go…" She quickly hung up the phone, not even waiting for his reply.

Felicity stood shocked, her mouth dropping open as the woman standing across from her bounced up and down, a high-pitched squeal coming from her lips. Sudden she was wrapped in a hug, Felicity's whole body doing ridged in the hug, "My beautiful girl…" One hand still on the door knob and the other raised with her phone held tightly in shock.

"Mum?" Felicity couldn't have looked anymore shocked than she had in that moment and she was thankful her mother didn't really pay that much attention to her because she didn't even notice the look on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Taking a step away from her mother Felicity waited for an explanation. "I came to see you…" But Felicity could only furrow her brow, her mind not grasping any real understanding of what was happening right now. "Are you going out?" Her mother looked down at Felicity's clothing, bag and shoes, blinking expectantly.

"Uh…Yes, yeah…I have to drop something off at my bosses house quickly before I go out to do some shopping…" But that only caused her mother's face to light up suddenly.

"Oh! I could come with you and we could have dinner after!" She suddenly turned on her heals and was headed back out the door towards the street, her small luggage being left standing in Felicity's doorway, abandoned. _Oh, this is so not good._

Groaning Felicity followed her mother out the door, closing it gently before finding her standing by her car, waiting, giddily for Felicity to drive them to their first stop.

Felicity's mother reacted to the Queen Mansion the same way Felicity had the first time she arrived, her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree, her body almost vibrating with excitement. "Oh honey…where are we?" But it didn't take long for Felicity to drown out her mother's words…Oliver's bike was by the front door. _Oh god, he said he wasn't going to be there._

Stopping the car, Felicity and her mother pushed her way through the front door, "Ok, mum…just come…stay right here…I'll be back in one minute…" She took her mother by her hand and motioned for her to stand by the opening towards the side living area. Vaguely Felicity heard a resounding "oh ok" come from her mother before she moved from the entrance, intent on making her way to Robert's office before heading out, hopefully no one would notice her or her mother.

She was two steps up the stair case when she heard her name, she stopped, groaning. "Hey Oliver…I was just dropping his off to your dad - coz he is my boss - and he needs them and so I'm here - which you can already tell coz you are talking to me." She motioned to the files under her arm. Oliver just nodded; he already knew she was coming over.

Oliver looked up at Felicity, he stood a few steps below her, "Yes, I got that one already…I ah…"

"Hey Ollie, did you want to…" Suddenly another voice found its way into their little bubble, "I'm sorry…who are you?" The woman standing next to Felicity blinked up at Felicity, her hand coming to wrap around Oliver's arm, holding him tightly.

Felicity smiled, she knew who this was, she'd seen her before. She watched as Oliver turned to speak, his mouth open but she cut him off, "Nobody." This caught Oliver's attention, he turned quickly to look back at Felicity confused, his brow furrowing. Didn't they have this conversation about Felicity being _nothing?_ "…I mean, I'm not nobody, I'm someone obviously and so are you…you're Laurel right?" She glanced at Oliver smiling slightly before turning back to Laurel, "…that Laurel…gorgeous Laurel…" She trailed off towards the end of her ramble. Shaking her head, Felicity tried again, "I'm Thea's tutor."

God, he hated when she referred to herself like that, she was more than just Thea's tutor, they'd had that conversation already. Smirking at her, Oliver turned towards Laurel, "This is Felicity, she's a good friend. And yes, she is Thea's tutor but she also works at QC. She is here dropping off something for my father…" He nodded down towards the folder in her hands, Felicity vaguely aware that Laurel was smiling kindly back at her.

"Ah yes…I told your father I would drop these off…so…" She rocked a little on her heals, feeling a little awkward before she reached out to hand them to Oliver instead of take them upstairs to his office like he had asked, "Can you please let your dad know that I will set up an appointment with him on Monday to go through these on Thursday…" Just as Oliver reached out to take them Robert's voice found the small group.

Coming around the corner of the living rooms, Robert took the files from Felicity, "Why wait until Thursday. Stay for dinner and we can discuss this after…" They were suddenly joined by Thea and Moira, _oh this is getting out of hand…_Felicity thought suddenly, remembering her mother in the other room.

"Oh hon, have you seen this place?" Felicity's mother's voice suddenly echoed through the hall, everyone turning around to look at where it came from, their eyebrows raised at the woman standing in sky-high heels, tight jeans and a low-cut top.

Felicity let her eye slip shut for a moment, Oliver's voice catching her attention, the question in his voice one of shock, each of the letters of the word spoken on their own. "Hello?" The rest of the Queen's turned as well, a little shocked to have someone in their house they didn't know about.

"Hi…" her mother breathed out as she looked back at him. Felicity reached out for her mother, moving to stand by her side, someone who looked like a deer in headlights at the group staring at her. Oliver looked towards Felicity with a raised eyebrow, she didn't even dare to look at his parents. "Please tell me this is your friend…"

"No." was her reply, a little too quickly, Oliver tilting his head ever so slightly at her reply, not sure how to take the knock, he went to speak but he was cut off. Inwardly groaning, Felicity motioned to the people around her, "Mum…this is Oliver Queen, his parents Moira and Robert, Thea his sister and his girlfriend Laurel…" _This is not what she wanted right now. She wanted to keep her family and her friends separate. _

Oliver's eyebrow raised a little more, the word 'mum' mimed on his lips as the group turned towards her mother. "This is my mother Donna…" Everyone greeted Donna with smiles and handshakes and light conversation but Oliver couldn't take his eyes off Felicity, her face was stoic, tight, not even a glimpse of excitement.

"Please…you have to stay for dinner now…" That snapped Felicity's eyes away from Oliver, blinking she was greeted by Moira, "Felicity, please, you and your mother must stay for dinner." And with that, the group was moved from the staircase to the dining room but Felicity and Oliver stayed behind.

Felicity just watched her mother go, really, really worried about how this night was going to go. Her mother was no subtle or quiet, Felicity could only imagine how this night was going to go. "So…mum…" Oliver had taken a step towards her but the glare that Felicity gave Oliver stopped him in his tracks. Laughing gently, he motioned towards the dining room, "Come on…"

He turned on his heels, leaving Felicity on her own for a moment before she hurried off after him, needing to find her mother. And she found her easily, already seated at the table, Laurel on one side of her, Oliver next to Laurel. The only spare seats were next either side of Thea. Felicity had to make the choice, sit opposite Oliver or opposite her mother. But it seemed the choice was made for her when Tommy Merlyn decided to come rushing in behind her. "Sorry I'm late!" He briefly stopped top kiss Felicity on the cheek, something he had done once or twice when it was clear he wasn't thinking. He moved towards Moira to do the same, Laurel and Thea also. He sat down opposite Felicity's mother, a sudden strange look on his face.

"Ah Felicity hon…how many billionaires do you know?" was all her mother could say as Felicity's cheeks reddened, her eyes closing for a moment.

She moved slowly towards the taken, taking her seat opposite Oliver. "Mum, this is Tommy Merlyn. Tommy, my mum Donna…" there was a shake of the hand over the table from the two and thankfully food was not far off.

"So Donna, tell us…what was Felicity like as a kid? I'm sure she drove you and her father crazy!" Tommy laughed, beer to his lips, missing the glance between Donna, Felicity and Oliver. But once silence fell over the table, Tommy looked up to find the three looking at each other.

Felicity cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter, "Ah, actually it was just my mum and I. Dad left when I was 7. I didn't really know him…" Felicity still smiled; it wasn't Tommy's fault he asked, she had never told him about her family. Shaking her head at him knowing he was going to start to apologise, "Please, its ok Tommy, you didn't know."

He just nodded, feeling a little embarrassed about the line of questioning he had brought up but Moira decided that it was the right time to jump in to help him out. "You raised Felicity on your own? You've done an incredible job; Felicity is a wonderful young lady."

Donna smiled back at Moira, sitting around the Queen table, she must have felt a little uncomfortable during dinner but this helped to settled the nerves. "Oh, she was pretty easy really. There was some really long 60-hour weeks in 6 inch heals for tips. But it all helped me to raise this genius child. We are very lucky that she was able to get a full scholarship to MIT though…" Donna looked over at Felicity who was just smiling at her mother, it wasn't often that she spoke about those times but it was nice to hear her mother call her a genius.

"Well you have done an incredible job. Felicity is really an amazingly smart young lady." Robert sipped from his wine glass, smiling back at Felicity who blushed.

"Oh, that doesn't mean that she wasn't a handful, she built her first computer at 7 and I remember coming home from work one morning and there were computer parts everywhere, she'd been up so late over night that she'd even fall asleep in the mess." Donna laughed, remembering what it was like to have found her daughter laying in the mess of computer parts.

The rest of the table laughed along with her, the conversation falling easily, Felicity smiled to herself, thankful that dinner was going as well as it could. She glanced over at Oliver who just smiled at her, he knew it was hard for her to talk about her father, he wanted to show her that it was ok.

"So hon, you never told me how you ended up working for the Queens…" Donna looked towards her daughter, waiting expectantly but it wasn't Felicity who answered. It was Robert.

"Well my VP knows some of the lecturers at MIT and when I mentioned to him that my daughter needed a little more help at school, he said he was going to see if there was anyone around that might be able to help." Robert lifted his wine glass to Felicity, "And so Felicity came by one night as an introduction and Thea loved her and it just stuck. We then decided that Felicity needed more of a challenge than MIT could give – so we offered her a 2 year internship at QC which will then hopefully turn into full time employment after she graduates." Donna smiled brightly at Robert.

Finally hating being the centre of attention, Felicity turned to someone that wasn't her, "Laurel, Oliver tells me that you are almost graduating with a Law degree. That's amazing, congratulations." Laurel blinked at Felicity, suddenly shocked at any form of conversation from the younger girl to herself.

Laurel glanced over to Oliver, finding him smiling gently back at her, "Oh thank you. Yes, I graduate at the end of the school year. I am looking forward to getting into the work." Laurel smiled widely back at Felicity, something changing between them, almost as though Laurel didn't see Felicity as a threat anymore.

"Oliver, what do you have planned for the rest of the school year?" Donna's questions settled the group, each of them looking towards Oliver expectantly, Felicity could see the battle that was raging behind his eyes. Clearing his throat and leaning forward against the table he thought for a moment, wanting to choose his words carefully.

"Well you could always go back to college and finish up your credits Ollie, I mean it's what you are meant to do anyway." Laurel spoke directly to him; it was obvious that that statement was something that she had wanted to say for a long time.

Oliver cleared his throat once again, not liking that the conversation was turning to his future. "Yes son, once you finish your college credits – assuming you don't drop out of another college – you can come and take a position at QC, carry on where you should be." Ah Robert Queen, of course he had to jump into this conversation.

"Well, I don't know if I want to go to QC dad. Tommy and I have been talking and we-"

"Oh Oliver of course you will go to QC, what else would you do? You can't continue to throw your life away with drinking and partying forever…" Moira decided to jump in now, this was quickly becoming a family conversation but it was not just family with in the room.

"Yeah Ollie, you could come and finish up with me, we could get a place close to campus and finish out the school year together." And now there was talk of moving in together, what was happening? Quickly Oliver grabbed for his glass of wine, emptying it quickly before reaching for the bottle and repeating the process once more.

It was only after the second consecutive glass that he looked towards his dad. "And what if that's not my plan dad? What if I QC isn't in my future? I'm sorry but you know I've never wanted to go there and college clearly isn't something that agrees with me-"

"But partying does? Come on Oliver, I think it's time for you to grow up"

Now this was just embarrassing. It wasn't the first time this conversation had been had but it usually didn't include Laurel – who was taking his father's side – and Felicity and her mother weren't usually there either. "Tommy and I have been talking and we want to open a club in the Glades. I think we can really give it a shot." He looked towards Tommy who until this moment had his head down. Thankfully he looked up with a small nod to Oliver, at least someone was in his corner.

But a snort came from his father. "What would you know about running a club?"

Laurel turned to Oliver, "Ollie I still think that finishing college would be better for you. It's what you should do."

But Oliver snapped, "How would you know what is best for? None of you have asked what I actually want out of life." He was eyeing off with Laurel, not bothering to look at his father.

"Enough Oliver, you need to grow up and do what you are told." And that seemed to be the end of that conversation. Oliver set his jaw tightly, he looked like a caged lion but he wasn't going to give his father the satisfaction of him storming off like a child. Instead he reached for the wine, emptying his glass once more and refilling it again.

He could not even look at Felicity, he didn't want to see the disapproving look on her face but what he didn't see was just the pure understanding that her eyes held for him. She knew him better than anyone, she was the only one who had asked him what he wanted.

Dinner continued on, settling back into happier conversation, Donna being the loudest of the group, Thea laughing along with whatever she felt needed to be laughed at, Laurel joining in but Felicity stayed as quiet as she could, Oliver occasionally glancing over to her, giving her a light smile, reassuring her that it was all going to be ok. He had set himself back into his chair, another glass of wine in his hand, they watched either other, trying to give as much support as they could in the situation they found themselves in.

Oliver groaned as he rolled over, his head hurt, his back hurt and his body felt heavy. Opening his eyes, he found that he was not in his bedroom, not in a room he recognised at least, he was naked, that much he could tell. He was lying face down on the bed underneath him. But this wasn't Laurel's bed and it was not Laurel's bedroom.

Where was he and what happened?

"_Ollie why don't you go back to class and finish out the credits. It would be best for you to do that." Laurel looked over at Oliver as he lay on the couch. He sighed, they had already had this conversation a few nights before at dinner, it was not something he wanted to rehash with Laurel. _

_Groaning, Oliver rolled off the couch to sit up, "Laurel I told you, I don't want to go back to college, I don't want to finish out the school and I don't want to go and work at QC. I just – I need to find something for myself." He had really hoped that she would be supportive of his wants and needs, granted he knew he didn't really have a leg to stand on when it came to her support, Lord knows he had cheated on her enough times to have lost that support long ago. _

_But Laurel sighed, "Really though Ollie, a club? Don't you think it's time that you and Tommy give up on that idea? Your dad is right, what do you know about running a club?" She placed her hand on his arm, trying to get his attention. "You have a place at QC and you have a place with me. Why can't you see that?" _

_He blinked back at her, he was 22 years old and she was planning his entire future, a future he didn't have a say in. He loved Laurel; Oliver knew that but there was something about this conversation that sounded like it was the end of everything. Everything seemed to final to her. Final was not something that he was interested in at his age. _

_Looking over at Laurel he suddenly noticed a few things, there was magazines around her room, they looked a lot like wedding magazines, invites to family events on her fridge, an invite for her and Oliver to a family wedding as well as an invite for her and Oliver to their friends house warming – the two had moved in together. Everything that a couple should have been doing but none of it was what he wanted to be doing. _

_Standing suddenly, he moved past her, "I need to go, I'm supposed to meet Tommy tonight." And with that he was gone, he needed air, he needed to breath. In the last 3 days, he had been attacked from all sides about how he should be living his life, what he should be doing and who he should be. He needed to get out. _

Oliver tried to roll over, but the weight on his back was enough to hold him there and so instead he slowly turned his head as much as he could, trying to get a glimpse of the woman – yes he could tell woman by the feel of her naked body against his naked back – what was holding him down.

The first thing he noticed was that there was blonde hair, it was soft and wavy, covering the girls face. A small mumble coming from her lips and a kiss placed against his back, which tightened instantly.

This was not Laurel, her hair was not that light and she was not that small, he could tell the girls height by the weight on his back and it did not match Laurel Lance.

This was very, very bad.

Dropping his face back into the pillow below him, Oliver tried to remember what the hell had happened last night and how he ended up in a hotel room with someone who wasn't Laurel.

"Oliver…"

Her voice was soft to his ears but his heart stopped instantly when he recognised it. Oh, this was very, very, _very_ bad.

Standing outside on the street of the hotel, Oliver looked around, he was ashamed of what had just happened and he didn't know what to do about it. He looked down at the blonde in front of him, trying to gauge her stance. Sighing he dropped his head, "Look, I'm sorry – what happened last night-"

"Ollie?"

The sound of his name caught his attention, the muscles in Oliver's back tightening instantly, _oh, this was not good. _Slowly he turned around and came face to face with Laurel, a slight smile on her lips. But it faded instantly when she noticed the flash of blonde hair behind him.

Taking a small step to the side, Oliver closed his eyes, waiting for the onslaught he was deservedly going to get. It was as if the whole world fell away around them, it was just the three of them – Oliver, his girlfriend and the girl who was going to bring it all crashing down around him.

He had wanted to hurt Laurel like this? Of course not. He had been trying his hardest the last 8 months – he had stopped going out with Tommy and if he did, he would still drink but he would always end up with Laurel. She had been the only girl he had slept with in that time, he really wanted to do right by her but that was gone now.

This was the first time she had actually caught him doing something like this, sure she knew about indiscretions, for some reason choosing not to say anything to him and forgiving him about it all but this was different. He wasn't an idiot.

Were the conversations he had with his family and Laurel over the last few days reason enough for him to have gone out and gotten drunk enough to not remember how he ended up at the hotel with someone who was supposed to be his friend?

Of course, not.

He knew that, of course he knew that. But he had been so overwhelmed by everything that nothing else mattered but his need to forget and to have a bit of fun. That's what he had wanted when he had left Laurel's the night before. He just wanted to go out and have a bit of fun.

This was very, very bad.

It was 8am in the morning and Oliver was found standing outside a hotel with someone who wasn't his girlfriend. It wouldn't take a genius to work out what was happening. Laurel was anything but stupid though.

As if in slow motion, Laurel leaned over the side of Oliver to see was sheepishly standing behind him.

"Sara?"

Laurel's voice was soft, her eyes momentarily betraying herself with realisation of what was going on between her sister and her boyfriend.

Oliver swallowed – he honestly had no idea what he was going to do about this. He really had tried to do the right thing by Laurel, he wanted to do the right thing but it had blown up in his face and he knew it. "Laurel-"

He knew he shouldn't have spoken; knew she would be furious and heartbroken. But for some reason he still hadn't expected the connection of Laurel's hand across his face. The stinging pain on cheek was not enough to even cover the pain that he saw in her eyes as the tears already started to fall.

She's slapped him, the crack of the slap echoing through his ears. He wanted to call for her, desperate for her to stop and to hear him out but he couldn't bring himself to say or do anything. The only movement he could do was to bring his hand to his reddening cheek, feeling his own tear slipping from his eyes.

"Sara? As in Sara Lance? The sister of the girl you supposedly love?" Felicity physically stepped away from Oliver, her hands shaking as she realised what he was saying. There were things that Felicity could handle when it came to Oliver and his tendencies - usually the fact that she knew that he was cheating on Laurel was the one borderline - but to find out that he had slept with Laurel's sister was beyond anything.

Oliver watched for a moment as she looked him in the eyes, her eyes darkening as she regarded him but then she was retreating from him, something that she never did. No matter what he told her, Felicity had always thought better of him. But the look in her eyes before she walked away from him told him that he had lost a part of her in that moment.

He took in her back, the movement of her arms as she walked away, her shoulders slumping as the emotions got the better of her. What the hell did he do? He had hurt Laurel, hurt Sara, hurt himself and disappointed Felicity.

What had he become?

**Yeah Oliver slipped – but he was trying so hard! Any love? :D **


	5. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone

**Hey all! Sorry this is so late, I planned on posting it last week but I had my first law exam so study took over and then I got distracted by watching Olicity vidoes on Youtube haha my bad! **

**Anyway, here is the new chapter. I'm sorry if this feels rushed, I really wanted to get to this point coz like I said the story actually picks up from here more than anything. Also I'm sorry in advanced for the first part of this chapter but I felt like for the whole Felicity character development in this story … it needed to be done. **

**Please review! :D**

**Chapter 5 – You're Gonne Miss Me When I'm Gone **

She was alone in the world now.

No siblings.

No grandparents.

Her father had abandoned her.

And her mother was dead.

_Dead._

Something she never thought she'd have to say, at least not at 19 years old.

It had been a warm day in Vegas, same as it always had been but the clouds had rolled in, the darkness fitting the day. A day Felicity never thought she'd have to deal with, a day she didn't know how to deal with.

Her mother's funeral.

If you'd ask Felicity how long she had been standing by the open grave, the casket staring up at her, covered in small clumps of dirt, she wouldn't have been able to tell you. To be honest, she hadn't even realised that the rain had started to fall - heavily - around her.

Emptiness entered her mind, the usually fast paced, crazy thoughts running through her mind seemed to have just vanished into thin air as she stood there, alone, wet and just _sad_.

She didn't even notice his presence come to her side, didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her on the grass as he approached but what she did feel was his large hand slipping into her own, encasing it gently as they stood shoulder to shoulder, wet from the rain, hair sticking to their faces, clothes sticking to their skin.

Oliver stood in silence next to Felicity, no idea what to even say to her but he wanted to show her he cared for her. It had been almost a month since she had walked away from him that day - the day he had told her he slept with Laurel's sister. But none of that mattered now. He wanted to show his support for his friend and he wanted to be there for her.

Time continued to pass over them both, the rain continued to fall but slowly, inch by inch Felicity let her hand close around his, needing the warmth that he gave her.

Felicity hadn't cried, not when she had been told of what had happened, not when she was on the plane to Vegas, not when she was at her mum's house, not when she was in the car on the way to cemetery and not as the Rabbi had said his piece and her mother's coffin was lowered into the ground.

Actually, Felicity didn't think she had cried at all, just staring into the hollow of the grave below her feet. Slowly each of the guests had left her side, many with a slight hug or a gentle hand on her shoulder but none of them asked her questions, leaving her be.

She may not have been crying but her tightening grip on his hand told him a million different things. "You didn't come..." her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, hoarse from crying and being so silent for so long.

Glancing up at her, Oliver had noticed that a tear had slipped down her cheek, rolling by the side of her nose and then over her lips. He wasn't sure what she meant but he wasn't going to ask.

"You didn't come to the funeral..."

He just looked at her, why was she so concerned about what he did or didn't do? Maybe she had needed him there with her and she thought he wasn't there for her like he always promised her he would be. But she was wrong. He had come to the funeral.

"Oh Felicity…I was here, I was at the back. I wanted to be here for you but figured that you needed your space..." he chose his words carefully. Not wanted to upset her but also wanting her to know that he wasn't going anywhere.

This caught her attention finally, painfully she pulled her eyes from the ground to his, seeing the redness in his own that had more than likely mirrored her own. _He had com_e _for her. Even after walking away from him that day the way she had – he had still come for her._

But then she realised that she was upset with him for no reason. She needed something else to focus on and so she focused on him. "I'm sorry" she looked away from him, so unsure of herself that she couldn't believe what was happening.

But Oliver's hand never left hers, only holding it tighter when he thought she was going to pull away from him. He wasn't going to let her do that. He did however watch in slow motion as her shoulders slumped and her knees buckled underneath her. Oliver was faster though, his arms coming to wrap around her waist, both their body weight dropping to the ground below them, a heartbreaking sob racking itself through Felicity's entire body.

She cried and he held her tightly as she did, neither caring of the thunder that tumbled around them or the rain that had started to fall even heavier or that Felicity was hanging onto Oliver with so much strength that to him it felt like he was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Somehow, she had ended up sitting across his lap, her legs to one side, one arm wrapped around his neck while the other had her hand fisting tightly at his shirt. He just held her tightly, arms around her small frame and let her cry.

It was dark by the time her tears - and the rain - had settled down, her grip loosening on his shirt but she didn't move, didn't want to move. Oliver may have thought that she had fallen asleep against him but she hadn't, her breathing was still ragged and sharp against his neck. "Come on. Let's get you home..."

His words were soft in her ear but she held onto him still, not wanting to let go. But moments later she lifted her head from his neck, wiping her eyes, "I ah...I've been staying at mum's apartment but I don't really want to go back there alone."

He pulled her back into his arms tightly "Oh Felicity, you're not alone." And with that he somehow managed to raise them both to their feet and walk them back to the car that had been waiting nearby.

They driver had brought them back to Felicity's mother's house, it was small, quiet but cosy enough that under better circumstances, he would have loved to have visited. Oliver followed Felicity into the apartment, watching her flip on the lights before she rested against the kitchen counter, her hands face down and her shoulders hunched over, head down.

It didn't take long before Oliver was by her side, his chest against her back as he held her tightly, feeling her body start to shake once more, both from the cold rain that had soaked them both through but also from the new cascade of tears that had started to fall.

Again, they found themselves on the floor together, his arms tightly around her waist while Felicity was curled up on his lap, holding him tightly as she cried herself to sleep against him. But Oliver didn't move, he wouldn't move while she was in his arms.

Oliver's party was in full swing by the time Felicity pushed open the front door to the queen manor. Loud music assaulted her ears as she stepped inside the main entranceway, there were lots of people around, people Felicity didn't recognise and people that Felicity was happy not to know. These were Oliver and Tommy's friends and she was quite happy just being friends with them.

She moved through the mansion easily, she knew the layout like the back of her hand. As she looked around, it was clear to her that she was not in the partying mood. Honestly, she didn't even want to come to the party, she'd even begged Oliver to just have lunch with her as a good bye but he had looked at her with those eyes that she couldn't say no to and so here she was, heading out through the kitchen to the back room.

Everyone else was dressed for a party, the girls wore tight dresses, short skirts or very low tops, she wore a pair of jean shorts and a simple t-shirt. She _really_ wasn't in the mood to party. Felicity had been struggling with her mother's death, Oliver had to force her to spend time out of her house, just trying to get her not keep herself locked over the last few months.

She knew he meant well and she loved spending time with him, she just found it hard to enjoy herself like she used to. But she did love having Oliver in her life. He made her smile. Tommy and Thea also kept her going. Before she could think any more of it, a voice caught her attention, a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey you..." Felicity turned towards the voice behind her, finding a smiling Tommy Merlyn standing by her side. He was a handsome man, Felicity was not blind, his bright smile could always put a smile on her face. But that smile was few and far between at the moment. Slowly, Tommy pulled Felicity into a tight hug - his lips against her ear, "I'm so sorry about your mum. How are you holding up?" She hadn't really seen Tommy at all since before her mum had passed away, she had only really been spending time with Thea and Oliver at the mansion after her tutoring sessions.

Felicity pulled away slowly, his hands coming to rest against her shoulder again, hoping for an answer. Felicity could lie to him but she knew he'd lost his mother at a young age and so she didn't want to lie to him, she didn't want to lie to her friend. Felicity shrugged briefly, "I'm ok. Just taking it one day at a time. It's been alright, I've been spending time with Thea or Oliver so it's been ok. Just one day at a time, or something like that…" She shrugged again, not really sure what else to say to him.

Tommy smiled gently back at her, he understood what that feeling was like, "Well you know that me and Ollie are here to make you smile. It's been few and far between over the last few months. We do miss it..." Felicity just nodded, she knew she hadn't been the best of friend lately - but the boys and Thea understood, they understood that she was having a hard time. "You know, I have experience in losing a parent, if you need anyone to talk to, my door is always open for you."

Felicity just stepped into Tommy's arms, letting her head rest against his check with a small smile coming to her lips. After a moment she stepped back, she was suddenly really not feeling the desire to be there, as much as she wanted to spend time with Oliver before his trip away. "I actually think I'm gonna head off. I know I really only just got here but..." she shrugged, they knew she wasn't up for much recently but she knew that Tommy and Oliver would both be happy that she had made it to at least see him off.

"Wait..." Tommy turned from a Felicity before she could leave, calling out to Oliver, who was seated around a small table, beer in hand and a wide smile on his face. When he looked up at his name, Oliver's eyes lightened even more as he saw Felicity standing by Tommy, thrilled that she had decided to come. Standing instantly, he rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into a tight hug. Whispering a "Hey" in her ear. He held her for a little longer than he probably should have but he didn't want to let her go.

"Ollie!" Waving his hand around both his and Felicity's face, emphasising something she was quite sure. "Let's get a picture do you don't forget what we look like!" Oliver just laughed; Tommy may have been a little drunk but he was still his crazy best friend.

Tommy leaned over to rest his chin on Felicity's shoulder, blinking at her like an anime character, Felicity just rolled her eyes at him, "Come on Tommy, he is going to be gone 3 week, I'm sure he'll remember what we look like." Felicity laughed brightly at Tommy's craziness but still smiled at Oliver, shoes smile only grew wider when she nodded.

Somehow, someone had pulled out a Polaroid camera, something that Tommy had been very enthusiastic to use. The first photo taken of the three was of them standing in a line, Felicity in the middle, their arms around each other, smiles and laughter across each of their faces. The second was of Felicity being piggy backed on Tommy's back, Oliver doubled over in laughter as she held on tightly to his neck, terrified that a drunk Tommy would drop her. The third was of Oliver and Felicity together, his lips to her cheek as she laughed straight at the camera while Tommy leaned over her side, pretending to try and push Oliver away.

Once the camera was put away Tommy placed his own kiss on her cheek before giving her a tight hug. He knew why she wasn't in the partying mood, losing her mother had been incredibly hard on her. She'd even take up extra classes randomly at MIT just to fill the space and time she had free - at least when she wasn't at QC, tutoring Thea or hanging out with Oliver. "Love you Felicity." He whispered against her cheek. Feeling her hug, him back tightly, Felicity pulled way.

Wiping at her eye quickly, she turned to Oliver, a smile coming to both their lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his around her waist, his face burying itself against her neck. Holding each other for a moment, Felicity sighed against him, "Please be careful. I know you can't get into too much trouble on a boat but just..." she pulled away from him, her face inches from his.

"I will Felicity. Don't worry, I'll only be gone 3 weeks and then I'll be back to annoy the shit out of you." He laughed at her as she tried to slime again at him. But it didn't reach her eyes, her smile never reached her eyes since the funeral. "I'm gonna miss you." He pulled her in tight again, part of him not really wanting to let her go but as he did, he reached into her hand to grab a photo from her, slipping it into his pocket.

Felicity just reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek, suddenly desperate to linger for a moment before she moved past him. A final, "Please be safe and have fun" coming from her lips before she ducked back into the house, out the front door and back to her home.

Oliver sighed as he watched her go, his worry for her rising instantly. "Hey man, do me a favour and look after her for me?" He turned towards Tommy, fingering the photo he was going to keep close to him on his trip away.

Tommy nodded, "Always man..." he waited a second, eyeing his best friend suddenly noticing a shift in him. There had been subtle things about Oliver when he was around Felicity, nothing that really stood out to him about his behaviours but there was something. Tommy could tell that Felicity was harbouring a crush on Oliver, it was pretty obvious but his best friend on the other hand? He hadn't seen him so interested in someone before. And just a general interest as well, not just an interest in getting into a girls pants.

It was something he was going to bring up to Oliver when he got back. Maybe try and push them both to realise that it might be more than friendship between them. Smirking, Tommy placed his hand on Oliver's back, his fingers slipping his own photo into his pocket before they both moved back to the party, both of them a little less enthusiastic now that Felicity had gone home.

The sun was setting as Oliver stood by the side of the yacht, his arms resting against the cold railing as he looked out over the clear ocean around him. The last week had been amazing for him, being away from everything and everyone had given him a new sense of peace, something he hadn't felt in a while. As much as he missed his family and Thea and Tommy and Felicity, he liked the quiet the ocean brought to him.

Oh Felicity.

He looked down at the photo in his hands, Felicity holding onto Tommy tightly, her eyes lighting up in a smile, one he hadn't seen for a while before that. Part of him hated being away from her considering she was struggling, he wanted to be there for her but he also knew that he needed time away for himself. After everything that had happened with Laurel and Sara and how he had been treating both of them, he needed time to clear his head and work himself out. Felicity had told him as much when he had approached her about not going on his trip.

"_Felicity are you sure. I can stay if you want me to. If you need me, I want to be here with you." Oliver had called Felicity the week before he was supposed to leave, he hadn't seen much of her recently, Walter telling him that she was getting caught up in her MIT work, the extra classes she had been taking and her work at QC. He hated that she was trying to drown herself in her work. _

_Felicity had just sighed and smiled on the other end of the phone, "Oliver, I want you to go on this trip. I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself for once. Don't worry about me, I have Thea and Tommy if I need anything. I promise, I will be happier if you go and not worry about me for a bit. You need time to yourself for once, to work out what you want from life and from…well, everything." _

_Oliver knew she was getting at his break up with Laurel, he had told Felicity that he had tried to approach her since she had found out about him sleeping with Sara, but all he had gotten was a pointed glare and a comment along the lines of 'leave me the fuck alone'. He had known that Sara had taken off though, she had fought with Laurel, packed her bags and walked out. Leaving only a note for her parents and nothing else. No one had seen her in weeks, only her parents had gotten phone calls to say she was ok. _

_Did her want to fix things with Laurel? Honestly, he didn't know. He actually didn't think he would be able to, he had hurt her way too bad for anything to ever be fixed between them but he at least wanted to apologise. Something she was not interested in at all. _

Felicity had always been by his side, always been one of his biggest supporters no matter what stupid thing he did or whatever trouble he had gotten himself into or even whatever idea he had wanted to pursue. She believed in him from the beginning and part of him didn't know why she did, he wasn't a good guy, he knew that but his friendship with Felicity was the purest part of him and he was going to fight hard to hold onto that.

"I'm sorry Mr. Queen but coast guard has informed us that there is a storm setting in. I'm going to have to ask you to come below deck." Oliver's thoughts were broken by the crew member standing beside him, motioning up to the darkened clouds above his head, something Oliver hadn't even noticed. Moving from the railing, he pocketed the photo of his two best friends before moving inside.

It was close to the middle of the night when a jolt of movement pulled Oliver from his sleep, he had fall asleep on his bed, face down in the same clothes he had been wearing when he was up on the top deck. He'd been reading through a book and clearly fallen sleep. Thankfully, he had been used to the storms on the ocean, having been on the yacht enough times to have the experience.

But even though, he knew something was different this time. Sure, the yacht moved a lot against the waves but something was different and he could feel it. Sitting up slowly, he looked around, trying to place what would come next, he could hear the violent storm above his head belting out thunder, lightning lighting up the small cabin room second apart from the last.

Another jolt of movement sent Oliver tumbling to the floor unable to hold his ground as he tried to stand, the glasses tipping from the spot on the bench, the bed shifting around him, pillow sliding along with him. As suddenly as the movement had started, it stopped. Oliver's back connecting painfully against the side of the cabin, his head turned slightly to look out the window by his side, he could see the angle they were on, momentarily he looked back at where he had come from, he realised that he was basically laying on his back against the side wall of cabin staring up at the cabin door swinging open against the gravity.

The yacht was on its side, he knew that, his vertigo could tell him that.

If he wanted to move, he couldn't, he was frozen with fear, his thoughts going to his mum, his dad, Thea, Tommy and Felicity. He was going to die, whatever happened next, Oliver Queen knew he was going to die.

The sudden crash and cold rush of freezing water engulfed his sense, whatever had happened had caused the cabin wall he was against was being torn apart under him, sending him tumbling into the ocean below.

The pressure had built up on his chest, the freezing water crushing against his body as he tumbled around with the waves, the only thing he could do on instinct with try to scream but that only caused his lungs to fill with the salty water around him. His body was seizing against the cold, there wasn't much fight in him anymore.

He couldn't see where he was and he couldn't find his way to the surface of the water.

Oliver Queen knew he was going to die.

Oliver Queen was dead.

People had started to murmur beside her in class - it was true, it wasn't the most exciting of her lectures but it seemed as though the rest of her class had found something a little more interesting to focus on. Shuffling further down into her seat, Felicity tried to ignore the sounds around her that had started to get louder, she just wanted to finish her work and go home. The same thing she had been doing for the last three months.

She hadn't slept much the night before, something had been keeping her awake, a feeling of some kind but she didn't know what it was and it had really affected her that day. If you'd asked her why she hadn't slept, Felicity honestly couldn't have told you. She was restless and agitated and so sleep just didn't come.

Running a hand over her eyes, she sighed deeply, there was just two more hours of this class and then she would home and hopefully she'd be able to sleep. That's what she needed to think about.

"_Oliver Queen_..."

It wasn't usual for Felicity to hear Oliver's name spoken about in her classes, being so close to Starling City, it was natural that his name had floated in from parties or people seeing him and Tommy around or just the general consensus that everyone thought he was hot. Thankfully no one had known that Felicity was friends with him or else she could only imagine the questions she would get.

"_Oliver Queen_..."

Again, she'd heard his name and more murmuring, again it was getting louder.

The third time she'd heard his name "_Oliver Queen_..." she turned to the small group behind her, "I'm sorry, did you just say something about Oliver Queen?" Really what could possibly be so interesting about a man on a boat on the way to the other side of the world? It's not like he was in Starling to get in trouble with the cops or get pictured out with some brunette.

One of the guys in the group looked up at Felicity before turning his phone to her, showing her what it seemed that everyone was looking at, "Apparently his boat vanished during the night. No one survived. They are saying he's dead."

Felicity's entire body froze. All over. Completely. Her eyes glazed over instantly as she let the words seep into her mind.

Oliver.

Vanished.

Dead?

"That can't be right..." the words slipped from her lips, the confused look on the others faces, they must have seen her eyes glaze over, tears forming. Instantly Felicity reached for her bag, scrambling to get her tablet out, she was going to do whatever hacking she needed to do to be able to get the information she could. She had to find out for sure what had really happened to Oliver.

But a flash caught her eye, the instructor at the front of the class was talking to someone. Someone she knew. Someone the rest of the class seemed to know as well.

Tommy Merlyn.

That was when her bag hit the floor, the echoing thud the only thing heard as the whole class had become silent at the conversation happening in front of them, all of them trying to hear what was being said

"No". Felicity's voice was stronger than she expected, the whole class looking at her suddenly. Tommy had turned to her at the sound of her voice. His sad eyes meeting hers.

"No." She said again shaking her head as Tommy moved towards her,

"Felicity-"

She stood suddenly, pushing her seat back from the table, "Tommy..." she was already around the front of her desk, taking in his red eyes and his puffy cheeks. He had been crying. Tommy Merlyn had been crying.

This couldn't be happening.

"He can't be gone. Tommy, he can't be dead..." Tommy has reached out his arms for her, wrapping them tightly around her as she clung to him. "I'm sorry Felicity. Oliver is gone."

He held her while she cried. While _they _cried. Cried for their friend, cried for their friendship and cried for the brother and son who was lost forever now.

Somehow Felicity and Tommy has made it back to the mansion together, Felicity had just sat quietly in the back of the town car, staring out the window.

Oliver had become one of the best and closest friends over the last 18 months and part of her had felt strange for being so upset when Tommy had known Oliver since they were kids. Reaching out for his hand slowly, Felicity held it tightly. "I'm sorry Tommy. You and Oliver have known each other for so many years…you should be more upset than I am…"

She sighed, keeping her head away from him, part of her had felt a little silly for being more upset that Tommy was or at least that's what she thought, what she didn't know was that Tommy was trying to be strong for her, he didn't want to break down in front of her because she needed him to be strong.

Tommy moved from his seat into the one closer to her, "Felicity, the time you or I knew Oliver didn't matter. He was my best friend but he was also yours. You knew him better than anyone else in this world, you will always know him better than anyone else. Including me. And I for one am so happy you were in his life." His heart broke a little more at the thought that Felicity didn't think she was worth enough to cry for Oliver but she was, she was worth more to Oliver than he was going to let her know now.

Once they arrived at the mansion, Felicity had never heard it so quiet, all she really remembers was having Thea in her arms, the young 15 year old girl clinging to her like she was the only thing holding her up anymore.


	6. In The Shadows

**Hey all! Thank you so much for the love in the last chapter, I am so glad you all enjoyed it! I've gotten a whole bunch of Kudos/Comments/Follows/Favourites across Achieve of Our Own and . Thank you so very very much! **

**I am sorry I had to kill Donna, but I needed something to help with where I take Felicity. **

**I also wanted to take on the idea of Oliver's actual situation while he was away – granted I am changing the storyline to match my story but I hope his struggles come across in reading as similar as it was when watching him go through it on screen. **

**Chapter 6 – In the Shadows**

Felicity had finally gotten Thea to sleep, the young girl clung to Felicity like she was a life raft, never wanting to let her go from the minute she had come through the front door.

_Tommy lead Felicity into the Queen mansion, the eerie quiet sending her heart sinking even further than Felicity ever thought it could. It was almost instantly she found Moira and Robert in the sitting room, Detective Lance and a few other people she didn't recognise seated around them. You could hear a pin drop in the mansion from the other side it was so quiet. _

_Hers and Tommy's movement must have caught the attention of Moira and Robert who both looked up as they walked into the living room, Tommy's red eyes catching that of his father who was off to the side by the fire place. Moira was out of her seat instantly and by Felicity's side, bringing her into a tight hug – something that Felicity would never have though Moira Queen to do. _

"_Mrs. Queen…I'm so sorry…" Was all Felicity could say as she wrapped her arms around the woman's shoulders. Moira had known that Felicity and Oliver were very close friends, but that did not compare to losing a son. _

_It was Tommy's rough voice that pulled them from their embrace, "Has the coast guard said anything new?" He had already been at the Queen mansion in the morning, he and his father going straight there the moment they had gotten Robert's call. He had wanted to wait until he had some information before going to Felicity. He didn't want to upset if there wasn't anything concrete but he wasn't a stupid person, he knew when things weren't looking good. _

_Malcom – Tommy's father – moved closer to the group, clearing his throat, "They said the Gambit had sunk, they haven't been able to find any survivors. Said the storms over the last few nights would have made it impossible for anyone to survive, there were more rolling in as we speak." He placed his hand on Robert's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "They have called off the search. Oliver and the crew…they are gone." _

_Felicity scrunched her brow, sudden confusion coming over her, "It's been two days – how can they just call it off. What if he is out there? What if he is still alive? What it…" Tears had started to fall down her cheeks, her brain not understanding what was happening. Moira was almost at Felicity's side but Tommy was already on her, pulling her into a tight hug, her face almost crushing into his chest, her hands tangling in his shirt as she cried, his heart breaking for his friend. The soft crying from the rest of the group echoing in now quiet room_

_The Queen's had lost their son and brother. _

_Tommy had lost his best friend. _

_And Felicity had now lost her mother and her best friend. _

_Somehow Tommy was able to get Felicity over to the larger love seat, both of them sitting down, Felicity curled into his side. Detective Lance spoke in hushed tones, not wanting to disturb the grieving group. "Felicity…" The soft sound of Thea's voice pulled Felicity's head from Tommy's shoulder, the young girl looking more like a child than a teenager as she stood in the doorway of the living room. _

_Thea had hidden herself in her bedroom the moment her parents had told her about Oliver, she had yelled and screamed and cried and kicked them out, slamming her bedroom door before sliding down with her back to it, her knees tightly held against her chest as she cried. _

_Felicity stood instantly, reaching out for Thea who ran into her arms, more tears falling once again. _

Felicity had guided Thea back to her room, the young girl had become inconsolable when she had seen Tommy's red eyes, something about seeing the strong man she had come to see as an older brother in tears meant that it was real. Oliver was really gone. Curling up on her bed, Felicity let Thea cry as much as she wanted, the gentle rocking and long hours of just holding her finally putting Thea to sleep.

* * *

There was a gentle rocking that surrounded Oliver, a soft movement that almost lulled him to sleep - a sleep he had thought he'd already fallen into. Because only in his sleep would this be happening. This dream - nightmare - that now surrounded him was going to be the end of him.

But then it stopped, the rocking stopped and he was suddenly feeling the hard ground below him.

Land.

He had somehow found land.

His eyes blurred from the sun, the salt water and the dehydration. The hazy outline of legs and boots came towards him before suddenly Oliver was being raised off the sand. His body hung loosely as it was carried, head down, feet dragging behind him, before his mind slipped, darkness taking over.

Oliver had no idea

He ached.

His entire body was almost like a dead weight as his senses slowly came back to him. There were muffled sounds of voices and movements around him but he couldn't place them at all. He didn't know if they were close or not, if they were female or male or if they were even speaking English. The harsh light against his eyes didn't help the haziness that was in front of him.

Oliver's head pounded, for the briefest moment he had thought they he and Tommy had gone out the night before and gotten so drunk he had blacked out. Oh, how he wished he had gotten black out drunk. Memories started to come back to him. The Gambit, the storm, the ocean sucking him under.

A voice was suddenly closest to him, Oliver blinked to try and clear the fuzz from his head. A blurry outline of a man stood in front of him, his deep voice echoing in his ear, "Кто ты? (_Who are you?)_ Что ты здесь делаешь? (_What are you doing here?)" _Oliver blinked again, trying to understand what was being said. Slowly the voice came into focus, the man in front of him also coming into focus finally.

He stood in front of Oliver, dressed in all black, dark hair and an angry look on his face. "I don't…where am I?" Oliver didn't even recognise his own voice; it was harsh and sore.

"Кто ты? (_Who are you?)_ Что ты здесь делаешь? (_What are you doing here?)" _The voice spoke again, harsher this time, more forceful.

Oliver had no idea what this person was asking him. "I don't understand…" His voice was a little stronger this time, a little more forceful.

But that was not the answer that the man wanted, anger bubbling over, Oliver felt the sudden connection of a fist against his face, his whole body moving under the force of the punch, it was not the first time Oliver had been punched in the face, he knew how to take that sort of hit. Expecting to hit the ground, Oliver braced for the contact that never came. It was then he realised that his hands were above his head, his shoulders suddenly aching from being in the hanging position, his hands had gone numb from the lack of blood supply. How long had he been hung by the wrists like that?

"Кто ты? (_Who are you?)_ Что ты здесь делаешь? (_What are you doing here?)"_ Once again, the voice asked, just as forceful as the second time.

But again, Oliver did not give the answer they wanted and so another punch connected with his stomach, the air rushing from his body, his lungs wheezing as he tried to catch his breath. "I don't…I don't speak… Russian…" He was barely able to get the words out, each punctuated with a breath as he tried to steady himself. Not only was Oliver trying to breath but the swinging motion from his chains were making him a little sick.

"Кто ты? (_Who are you?)_ Что ты здесь делаешь? (_What are you doing here?)"_ Again, the words were spoken to him. Oliver hadn't really ever been a man of patience and this guy really was on his last nerve. He was sore from the chains, the assaults and the boat crash. He was dehydrated and hungry. And just pissed off at this point.

Straightening his back, planting his feet on the floor, Oliver let his head poke out between his arms above his head, levelling his eyes at the man in front of him. With a new found anger, his voice roared through the concrete room, "I DON'T SPEAK RUSSIAN!"

The only reply he got was a growl from the man and then the blinding pain of a fist connecting with is jaw. The ache and the agony taking over his body, letting him finally fall to darkness.

* * *

"What are you doing in here?" Moira's voice echoed through the empty bed room, pulling Felicity from her thoughts, her head shooting up to the doorway where she noticed the Queen Matriarch. Felicity visibly relaxed when she noticed Moira standing there. "Oh Felicity, I'm sorry, we've just had a few young ladies trying to make their way into Oliver's room." Moira looked around the room, her sad red eyes taking in as much as she could. Felicity wanted to be shocked at her statement but considering the people who had come to Oliver's funeral, it didn't surprise her that many of them were there because they thought they meant more to Oliver than they did.

Thankfully, The Queen's – and Felicity – weren't stupid, they knew what Oliver was like, he slept around, he had his fun and that came with a lot of broken hearts and a lot of baggage. Some of that _baggage_ seemed to think that it was their right to have come to the funeral, as long as they didn't make a scene, Moira and Robert didn't want to cause a scene themselves by kicking them out, plus as far as they knew, these people could have actually been friends with their son. But security had been placed at the staircase and in the floor of Oliver's bedroom once it was noticed that some had tried to make their way where they didn't belong. Thankfully for Felicity, Moira had mentioned a few people who were allowed around the mansion – Felicity was one of those people.

Felicity just nodded, looking back down at the photo in her hands, the three of them together, Oliver with his lips to her cheek, a smile visible on his face even though he wasn't facing the camera. Moira moved slowly into her son's bedroom, watching Felicity closely as she moved towards the bed, taking a seat beside Felicity. Oliver's bed dipped under the mother's weight, the only movement around them.

Moira was silent for a few moments, just looking down at the photo in Felicity's hands, watching as her fingers brushed against Oliver's smiling face. "He cared for you so much Felicity." Felicity looked up at Moira's face, her own eyes red and swollen. Felicity tried to smile, her lips barely turning upwards at her words. "You made him a better man. You should know that."

Moira had noticed that whenever Felicity was around Oliver – and Tommy – both acted like responsible adults, most of the time. She honestly believed that becoming friends with Felicity had shown Oliver he could be better than how he was. Although there were times that it was clear that even he had forgotten that but Felicity was the grounding force that Moira believed Oliver needed.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Queen. I can't imagine what it must be like for you right now…" Felicity really didn't know what to say to Moira, what do you say to the woman who just lost her son? Felicity had spent a lot of time at the Queen mansion over the last week however most of that was with Thea or Tommy. It had taken a week to organise the paper work to say that Oliver had been declared dead and the funeral to be organised also and so she didn't get to see much of Moira and Robert during this time.

But Moira smiled briefly at Felicity, her hand coming to rest over Felicity's, "It's incredibly hard dear but I also know you are struggling yourself; Oliver may have mentioned that you had been closing yourself off the last few months yourself. Losing your mother and now Oliver… I know how much he means…meant…to you…" There was something strong about Moira Queen, but Felicity could feel Moira's hand shaking against her. "You know…I thought you and Oliver were-"

"Oh no!" Felicity cut off Moira, she didn't want her to think about her son and her that way when they had just had a funeral for him. "Oliver and I were just friends. I mean…it's not like he wasn't a good-looking man and a really kind person, anyone would be stupid to not want to be with him and when he smiled, it just made me feel…" Felicity closed her mouth sharply, realising that she was babbling. Moira Queen really didn't need to hear this about her son, who she had lost, having just buried an empty casket.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity looked over to Moira, "Oliver was my best friend. I miss him…" She looked down and back at the photo in her hands.

Slowly Moira rose from her seat next to Felicity, making her way over to the Oliver's dresser. Felicity just watched her, a little shocked and confused at what she was doing. "Just a word of advice, if you ever want to know about a man's secrets…look in his underwear draw…" Felicity's brow furrowed as she watched what Moira was doing, watching as she opened the top draw of his dresser, searching for something.

Thankfully, Moira didn't see the deep blush that had risen in Felicity's cheeks at the thought of going through Oliver's underwear draw, causing her to think about what he wore his jeans and then causing that thought to turn into imagining Oliver in only his underwear.

Moira turned back to Felicity, a small box in her hands. "I know that Oliver would have wanted to give this to you himself but I think you deserve to have this now." Taking her seat back on the bed, Moira handed Felicity the small box, "He went out with Thea a few weeks ago…something about wanting to buy you a birthday present…he came home with a bright smile on his face and I watched him put this in the drawer." Moira had no idea what was in the box, jewellery of some form but no idea what exactly.

Felicity turned the small box over in her hands, unsure of what he had bought her. Slowly she opened the box, finding something small staring back at her. A sudden watery laugh left her lips as she realised what was in the box. Slowly she picked up the small piece of jewellery, tears falling from her eyes again but her smile still small. "We went out for lunch last month, I pointed out this when we walked past the shop. God, he spent a fortune on this…" Felicity knew how much this piece of jewellery cost, that was why she hadn't bought it when she saw it.

In her fingers was small wavy industrial bar, the white gold glistening against the lights of his bedroom. Wiping the tears away from her cheeks, Felicity raised the bar to her ear, easily replacing the simple straight industrial piercing with the new one. "It was for your birthday Felicity; he would have loved to have seen you wearing it." Moira placed her hand on Felicity's shoulder, the two woman falling into easy silence as they both let their minds fall back to the man they both had lost.

* * *

He was lying flat against something hard; it wasn't the floor because his right arm was hanging lower than the rest of his body but whatever he was laying on was not soft like a bed. Slowly Oliver tried to sit up, his whole body aching, his ribs and chest protesting against all and any movement that he tried.

"I would not do that if I were you my friend." A gruff voice pulled Oliver's attention as he tried to sit up, the thick Russian accent causing his head to painfully shoot up in its direction. There across the metal bars of the prison cell he was in was another man, sitting almost peacefully on his 'bed' back against the wall.

He looked just a scruffy as Oliver felt. Slowly Oliver found himself sitting on the bed, his entire body ached as it slumped a little. Clearing his throat, Oliver tried to talk, "How long was I out?" He'd had enough black outs to know it had been more than a few hours.

"A couple of days..." the other man moved closer to the bars, "You're the first американский that has come here." The slight head tilt to the side and raised eyebrow was enough to make the man realise Oliver didn't know what he was saying. "American."

Oliver nodded, that was obvious considering it seemed as though everyone in that place spoke Russian only. Although he didn't even know where _here_ was. "Where is _here?"_ Oliver rubbed his hand over his forehead, instantly feeling the dry blood that had settled there, the gash was deep and fairly large, he hoped it would not scar.

The man stood, coming to lean against the bars, "чистилище" Again Oliver looked towards him, a raised eyebrow like he had had enough of this man's crap of speaking another language he didn't understand. "It means…purgatory. I've heard the others call it _Lian Yu._ Means the same." It was said with a shrug, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"How long have you been here?" Oliver finally found his feet, swaying slightly but had enough strength to stand by the man's side against the bars, his ribs ached.

"Six months, give or take." Again, the thick Russian accent made his comment sound so off the cuff, like he was used to his situation by now, a shrug along with his comment. A small moment of silence came over the men, before the man spoke again, "My name is Anatoly Knyazev." He raised his hand to Oliver through the bars.

Oliver met him easily, it was strange to be meeting someone who was being so polite given the circumstances they had found themselves in. "Oliver Queen." Oliver flinched inwardly at the sound of his own man, suddenly unsure if he should have said it, not knowing who might have recognised him. But thankfully it seemed as though Anatoly didn't recognise his name, that turned Oliver's cringe to a sigh.

* * *

Oliver had no idea how long he had been in this place, he had no idea how long they had questioned him and beat him, all because he couldn't answer the questions they asked. Mainly because they were still asking in Russian. But all that changed one day, Oliver had been strung up the same way as always, arms chained above his head, his body hanging limply.

"Кто ты? (_Who are you?)_ Что ты здесь делаешь? (_What are you doing here?)"_

Oliver was really getting tired of those words; he couldn't answer even if he wanted to. He had lost found of how many times he had been asked the questions, questions he couldn't understand.

But today was different, today Anatoly was brought by his side, chained to the bars of the empty cell by Oliver's side. Oliver's face scrunched up, fear coming over him, unsure of what they were going to do to him. But the man spoke to Anatoly, motioning between him and Oliver. He spoke again, "Кто ты? (_Who are you?)_ Что ты здесь делаешь? (_What are you doing here?)"_

Oliver glanced to Anatoly, watching as he sat up a little more, "He wants to know who you are and what you are doing here." Oliver blinked at the gruff voice of Anatoly.

Looking back at the man, Oliver sighed, "My name is Oliver and I don't know where _here _is." He waited for Anatoly to translate, the man once again looking between the two captives.

"Как вы нашли это место?"

Anatoly spoke again, "He wants to know how you found this place."

But Oliver shook his head, "My boat sank, I don't know how I got here. I swear, I have no idea where _here _is." He was begging, Oliver Queen was not the sort of person to beg but at that moment, the moment his eyes locked on to the long knife in his captors' hand, he would beg for anything. He would do anything; he would have even said he was a tapdancing flamingo if he was asked if he was one.

Against his better judgement, Oliver's body started to shake, the fear gripping him but was instantly over taken by the feeling of skin tearing, the agony he was feeling clouding all his senses as his cries echoed through the concrete room. The deep sound coming from his throat as the knife sliced through the skin, diagonally across his ribs under his left pec muscle. Instinctively Oliver's body tried to shrink away from the knife, the chains above his head rattling at the movement.

It felt like forever that the knife separated his skin, but just as it started it was gone, the throbbing pain taking over. Oliver's body laxed against his arms, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he tried to calm his breathing down. It was the worst pain he had ever felt, in his entire life.

"Кто еще здесь с тобой?"

Anatoly had been quiet through the last few minutes, no doubt he had experienced his own painful memories of this man, Oliver didn't blame him for keeping quiet. Thickly his voice entered Oliver's mind, "He wants to know who else came to the island with you." He words spoken softly, unsure of if Oliver could even hear him.

Blinking back at the man, Oliver just sucked in breaths as he could, his mind running blank, not able to put any coherent thoughts together. He could feel the blood dripping down his torn shirt, any movements he made, made it feel like the knife was back in his body.

Letting his body drop a little more, Oliver felt his head drop back, darkness taking him over the minute he let his eyes slip closed.

Oliver blinked at the sound of a door opening, jerking him from his darkness, the pain in his ribs coming back to him like a freight train, sucking in his breaths and tightening his eyes shut to try and block the pain out.

The sounds of someone struggling were getting closer, grunting and more Russian he didn't understand. Suddenly the person who came into view in front of him was someone he did not expect to see. Fear ran deep through Oliver as he looked back at the captain of Gambit, Jason, the man looked like he had been through Hell, his was barely awake, his clothes torn, skin dry and cracked, he was bleeding from the head and there was no doubt that he had broken bones.

Jason found himself on his knees in front of Oliver, his eyes widening as the man's gun was raised to his head. Oliver fought against his restraints, trying to pull himself free so he could reach for Jason, the pain from his own wound seemed to slip away as he looked back at the man who had become his friend. Jason's whole body was shaking, fear matching Oliver's. "What are you doing?" Oliver had suddenly found his voice, fighting even more against his restraints, feeling them dig into his wrists, cutting deeper into his skin.

"Если вы пришли сюда один...тогда не имеет значения, если он умрет..." The Russian's voice pierced through Oliver like a knife.

"No…don't…" Oliver was begging now, pleading for his friend's life.

"If you came here alone...then it doesn't matter if he dies..." The voice was rough, the man who had only been speaking Russian looked back at Oliver, trying to gauge his reaction. Oliver blinked as he realised what was being said.

One last harsh tug on the chains that held Oliver in his position wasn't enough to stop what came next. "No…"

An explosion echoed through the solid concrete room, the light flashing before Oliver's eyes as he watched the man pull the trigger, sending Jason crashing to the ground, the bullet lodging into his skull. "NO!" Oliver's cries echoed through the now silent room; the image of his friend being shot forever etched into his brain. Slumping against the chains, Oliver let his head hang knowing his life would never be the same.

**I'm sorry, I hate seeing Oliver hurt but I wanted to attempt it in a fic so the next few chapters will be interesting **** Please let me know what you think. **


	7. Disenchanted

**Thank you for all the love for the last chapter! Things will be moving along pretty quickly over the next few chapters but hopefully they are still action packed! **

**Forgot to mention – any of the Russian that are in the previous and upcoming chapters are all from Google Translate so my apologies if anything isn't correct! **

**Chapter 7 – Disenchanted **

_An explosion echoed through the solid concrete room, the light flashing before Oliver's eyes as he watched the man pull the trigger, sending Jason crashing to the ground, the bullet lodging into his skull. "NO!" Oliver's cries echoed through the now silent room; the image of his friend being shot forever etched into his brain. Slumping against the chains, Oliver let his head hang, a deep sob shuttering his body knowing his life would never be the same. _

Sucking in deep breaths, Oliver's eyes shot open, the sweat had started to poor down his forehead. His whole body was shaking at the memory of that moment, the moment he had seen his friend being killed. Oliver Queen had seen and done a lot of things in his life – seeing someone being shot was _not_ one of them. But seeing someone being killed was _definitely_ not something he ever thought he would see.

His mornings were the same over the last few weeks – thank you Anatoly for keeping track of how long they had been kept locked up in those cells, they were at 3 weeks already – waking up the from the same nightmare, the flash of light as the gun goes off, the fear over taking his body like someone had dumped a basket of ice water over his head.

Sitting up slowly, his body sore from weeks of beatings and questions he couldn't answer, it was nice to finally wake up to some form of quiet in the cells. Reaching under the side of his mattress, Oliver pulled out the small polaroid photo that he had hidden there the first chance he had gotten.

_Oliver sat curled against the side concrete wall of the cells he had been thrown in, the cold against his side and bare legs helping to bring down his temperature. It had been a day after he had been strung up and cut with the knife, the wound had seeped blood, darkening his olive-green t-shirt. A day after he had seen Jason killed. After throwing him into the cell, Oliver had passed out from the pain and exhaustion, waking up only to be profusely sweating from the fever he was running, the wound on his side had clearly gotten infected. _

_Once realising that he was awake, the men had stripped Oliver down to his boxers, something he was thankful for, but he didn't know what they were looking for. He had been found lying on the sand after being washed ashore, it's not like he could have been carrying weapons or anything. _

_And that's how Oliver found himself curled into a tight ball against the concrete wall, his head hidden against his knees as he tried to block out the noises around him and the searing pain he was in. His basically naked body doing all it could to hid from the men. Because that's what he wanted to do, hide. He wanted to curl into a ball and just disappear so they wouldn't hurt him anymore. _

_He could hear snickering from outside the open cell door, they obviously didn't think he was going to try and get away…where would be go if he did escape anyway? One by one his very limited clothing was thrown back at him, landing in a small pile on the floor. But Oliver didn't move, he didn't flinch and didn't look up, even when a man stood in front of him, crouching to look over the clearly broken American. His sides, arms and legs and chest were covered in cuts and bruises, many already healing, some fresh, the dirt dusting over his usually olive skin. Oliver had received one hell of a beating. _

_Sensing the movement of the man in front of him, Oliver curled to curl further into the wall, bringing his kneels closer to his chest, whimpering when they pressed against the still open wound on his ribs. If he survived the infection, Oliver knew that it was going to scar and scar badly. The man only smirked, he clearly liked to see Oliver cowering from him, his thick Russian accent echoing through the empty rooms, the bad English barely understandable, but Oliver knew the words he was saying, "She's very pretty…I hope you said goodbye…" _

_And then the man was gone, the heavy sound of the cell door closing and locking echoing through Oliver's head. After a moment, he looked up slowly from his position, his eyes landing on the pile of clothing and the small square photo sitting atop the pile. Carefully, Oliver reached out for the photo, snapping his hand back to his chest once he had it in his fingers. Looking down, his eyes blinked back the tears that sprung to his eyes, holding the photo tightly in his hands, Oliver took in the smiling faces of his best friends, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" Carefully, he placed the photo back against his bare chest, letting the shakes and fever take over once more. _

"Every morning and every night you look at that photo." Anatoly spoke to Oliver for the first time in since the day before, he had decided to let Oliver just rest, his body needing it. But that didn't mean Anatoly didn't notice things about what Oliver did. Looking up from the photo of him and Tommy and Felicity, Oliver allowed a small smile to play on his lips, memories of his best friends the only thing he allowed himself to remember.

For the first time Oliver leaned over and handed Anatoly the photo, this man had become a friend to Oliver in this place, he felt it right in that moment to extend a bit of himself to him. "My best friends, Tommy and Felicity." Was all he needed to say, Anatoly nodding.

After a moment, Anatoly looked up at Oliver, "Tell me about them." Anatoly had been in this place long enough to know that you needed to hold onto something, something to keep you going and it was clear that these two people in the photo were Oliver's reason for holding on. After his fever had broken, Oliver had become a little stronger in himself, taking his not-death as a sign, he needed to hold on.

Oliver blinked for a moment, thinking about what he was going to say. What could you say about your two best friends? "Tommy…he had been my best friend since I was a kid, I think we were even spending time together when we were babies…" Oliver smiled, remembering the very young pair running around the Queen mansion. "He is my partner in crime. He was either following me into trouble or leading me there. But he was always by my side. I remember…we were about 8 and we'd been running around the house all day, my mother…oh man…"

Oliver laughed, he remembered how angry his mother would get when they would run around the house. "…My mother she got so angry because we were slamming the doors and bumping into people and Tommy, he just stood there and looked at my mother and ran screaming out the front door. I didn't see him for like 3 days after that." Oliver laughed, remembering Tommy telling him that his mother scared the crap out of him that day.

But Oliver's smile grew a little more, this time it was a more telling smile, "Felicity…I honestly have no idea how she is still friends with me. She knows me better than anyone else and she is still my friend. She had put up with so much. She had this light about her, this happiness that is just so infectious."

Anatoly looked up from the photo in his hands to really look at Oliver, he spoke so fondly of both the people in the photo. "Is this Felicity… любовники?" Oliver just blinked, his brow scrunching at the word he didn't understand. "How you say…lovers?" Anatoly tried again, finding the best word possible to get across his question.

Oliver laughed, shaking his head, "No. No. Felicity is just my best friend. That's all."

But Anatoly just raised his eyebrow at Oliver, "Are you sure about that?" Oliver stayed silent, not wanting to give any more about his friends. Felicity was his best friend, there wasn't anything else she could be.

_Oliver and Tommy laughed as they headed down the hallway towards his room. He may have needed to stay home to baby sit Thea for the night but that didn't mean that Tommy couldn't come over and spend time with him. He and Laurel had been off again at the time so she wouldn't be spending the night at the mansion and he couldn't go out._

_"Come on man! I bought some beer so at least we can get drunk!" Tommy clapped his hand against Oliver's back, drunk - that was something that Oliver was looking forward to. He needed to space out, ignore the world around him as it started to come a little too much for him. "I can't believe you agreed to look after your sister tonight! It's a Friday night!" Tommy was pissed when Oliver said he couldn't go out but still, being at Oliver's was better than being at his own home._

_Oliver laughed, "Yeah I know man, I guess I just agreed to do it before I even thought about it." He shrugged; it was kind of true. When his mother had asked him to stay home to babysit, he had brushed it off as a "yeah sure" before realising what day she had asked him about. But on the other side of that was that he actually kind of wanted to stay home. But it had nothing to do with the fact that Felicity was in the mansion as well._

_But she had already left for the night._

_Music suddenly found the boys ears, the giggling and light laughter floating towards them as well. Glancing at each other, Tommy and Oliver turned towards the sound, pushing open the old playroom door to find Thea and Felicity lounging around on the couch, upbeat music loudly playing. "Oh! Party!" Tommy rushed into the room towards the girls, jumping onto the couch between them and snuggling close._

_Oliver rolled his eyes, laughing to himself. "I thought you'd gone home..." he motioned towards Felicity who had tucked her legs under herself, brushing a dark piece of hair behind her ear._

_"Oh yeah. Well I planned on it but we started listening to music and... well, figured I didn't have anything to do tomorrow so why not?" She shuffled to the side a little, giving Oliver space to sit between her and Tommy. Oliver's smile grew wider as he took his seat, happy that she was still there. "You got big plans tonight?" She blushed brightly as his hand was placed on her knee, squeezing it tightly._

"_Nah, to be honest, I'm supposed to be babysitting Thea, mum and dad are at some party or something." Felicity nodded, surprised he had chosen to stay home on a Friday night but part of her was a little proud that he had chosen not to go out and get blind drunk and sleep with some woman he found. "How about you? Wanna hang around for some pizza or something?" He still hadn't taken his hand off her leg though, enjoying the warmth that he found there. _

_Felicity nodded, she really had no reason to head off too early and she would have just had to go and feed herself. "Yeah why not, I'd end up just getting take away anyway." She smiled at his beaming smile, his white teeth shining. She wanted to roll her eyes, that was the sort of smile he would use to get whatever he wanted out of anyone. _

_It didn't take long before pizza was ordered and the music was turned back up, even louder than it was before. Tommy had instantly pulled Thea off the couch, swinging her around to the music. "Come on Ollie! Come dance!" Her young voice calling to him but he shook his head. _

"_You know I don't dance Thea!" He was happy just to watch her and Tommy, enjoying the happiness that was coming from them both. Watching as Felicity rose from her seat before going over to Tommy's side, taking his hand and Thea's they danced around together. _

_A sudden overwhelming feeling took over Oliver, standing he went to Felicity's side, taking her hand from Tommy's, he pulled her into him__ causing her to squeal for a moment, not expecting him to do that. The upbeat music and laughter echoing through the room. Tommy and Thea were bouncing around the room together, sort of dancing along while Oliver held Felicity to him, rocking quickly to the music. "I thought you said you didn't dance," Felicity held on tight, on hand in his and the other gripping onto his shoulder. _

_But Oliver just shook his head, "I said I didn't dance, not that I couldn't." _

_Felicity threw her head back in laughter at Oliver's antics, she had never actually danced with someone - not that you could really call this dancing - but it was fun, Oliver's side to side swaying motion was exaggerated and fast paced. He spun her suddenly before bringing her back to him, her back to his chest but the movements didn't lose their speed, his laughter mixing with hers. He held her tightly as they moved, a part of him not wanting to let her go at all._

_"Oliver! Stop!" Felicity was almost out of breath from laughing so much, Oliver the same and it wasn't until she pulled away from him toward the end of the song, tumbling back onto the couch with Oliver by her side did she realise how much her face was hurting from laughing and smiling. After a few moments, once her breathing had settled down a bit, Felicity looked down at Oliver who was almost curled into her side, slumped on the couch, he was sitting lower than she was. His smile just as wide. "Thank you, Oliver, that was a lovely dance."_

_Oliver beamed up at her, turning his face to hers, "You are a natural Felicity!" Both their smiles fell from their faces for a second, their eyes holding each other before they both broke away, laughing even more. Once the laughter settled down, Oliver snuggled further into Felicity's side, his head coming to rest against the side of her chest, her fingers playing with the long hair she hated. Sitting there, watching his best friend and sister dancing away, curled into Felicity, Oliver felt happy. _

Oliver allowed the slightest of smile of his face at the question in Anatoly's voice. Felicity Smoak was just his best friend, right?

* * *

"And what can I do for Tommy Merlyn this morning? Why are you even up this early?" Felicity glanced down at her watch, finding that it was just after 10 - a time that very rarely saw Tommy Merlyn out of bed. Coming to his side, Felicity hugged him tightly, knowing that the last 4 weeks had been a nightmare for him. Tommy just held her tightly.

Shrugging was he pulled away, Tommy have her a sad smile. "I dunno. Just needed to get out of the house, I guess. Is it ok if I hang with you today?" He looked around the corridor, people had noticed him there - some were just staring at him, some whispering. He was stupid, they were either whispering because he was best friends with Oliver Queen who had died or because he was hugging Felicity. Either way he just wanted to move on from that place.

"Of course you can Tommy. As long as you don't mind my classes." She smiled back at him, still seeing the sadness that was no doubt mirrored in her own eyes. Motioning with her head, felicity lead Tommy down the hallway to her next class. He felt weird being back in a college lecture theatre, the last time he did that was with Oliver – both hung over to the ends of the earth, eyeing off who their next tick off the list would be in their class.

Felicity motioned for Tommy to make his way down the hallway towards her next class, glancing behind her for a moment, she locked eyes with another boy from her previous class, blinking back at him for a moment, she smiled shyly at him before turning back to Tommy and disappearing down the long hall.

Thinking back on his and Oliver's craziness, Tommy knew it wasn't a good life they had been living. Had they been having fun? Yeah of course, but Tommy could tell that Oliver had been trying to change, well that was before he slept with Laurels sister of course. Losing his best friend had made Tommy thinking back over the years. He didn't know if he wanted to change or if he even could change but he knew he needed to do something to honour his best friend. Something more than keep screwing his way through Starling City - although he was probably going to keep doing that anyway.

By the time lunch had come around, Tommy and Felicity had settled into a comfortable chatter. He asked he question about her school work, how she had been going over the last few weeks, how Thea was holding up. But they had settled into silence at the cafeteria table, Tommy barely touching his burger. "Hey, what's going on?" Felicity reached out and touched his hand, bringing his attention from his plate to her.

There was always one thing that Oliver and Tommy could never do and that was lie to Felicity, alright make that two things, they also could never hide the truth from her either. Sighing, Tommy turned his hand over to hold onto hers, finding some happiness in the anchor of having her around.

"I just...I guess I just need something ya know. Something to keep me going. Being at home - everything is just so quiet. I feel like I've lost so much losing Oliver. I don't know what I can do to keep a hold of any part of him anymore." Tommy dropped his head into his hands, his burger not even touched as he sat opposite Felicity.

Felicity sighed, she hated seeing Tommy like this, hated seeing him so lost and broken. She knew what it was like, losing Oliver had left a whole in her as well but she still her Thea and her job a QC, she had the small gifts he had given her over the past 18 months, there was still parts of Oliver that she could hold onto, like her industrial bar he had bought for her for her birthday. But Tommy had lost his other half, he had lost his brother. Thinking for a moment, Felicity had an idea. "I might have something for you..."

Tommy looked up at her, a sceptical look, unsure about what she was talking about. Clearing her throat, Felicity straightened in her seat, "Before Oliver…" she swallowed, still struggling to say those words, "…he asked me to hold onto his plans for the bar, _Verdant_. He thought maybe his dad would get rid of them or something. But why don't…why don't you do it. Take his plans and buy the old Foundry off Robert and do what you and Oliver wanted to do together. Honour him that way." She sat back in her chair, trying to gauge Tommy's reactions.

Tommy thought for a moment, could he really do it? Could he take Oliver's vision and make it into something he would have been proud of? His smile grew wide after a moment, "Only if you work with me on it. You can set up the electronics and whatever you want. Please…" he reached out to touch her hand, if he was going to do this, if Tommy was really going to try and take Oliver's dream and make it a reality, he would only do it with Felicity helping him out.

If Tommy was really honest with himself, the club was always Oliver's baby. It was his idea, his plans, his vision…Tommy was just there to go with it. But Oliver had always said they would be joint owners, Oliver would oversee the whole bar and Tommy would manage it. Something they had both found to good idea.

That shocked Felicity, could she really do it? She had always hoped that Oliver would ask her to help him out but now, doing it without him, it felt right to be joining Tommy. "Yeah, I would love to. But you gotta talk to Robert about the Foundry. I'm not getting involved with that." She laughed. "I'll send you what I've and then you can have a look at it. Honestly though Tommy, Oliver's ideas and plans…they are amazing. He has thought of everything, honestly it's impressive." Tommy just nodded; he was excited to work with Felicity on their best friends' idea.

"So tell me, why did Oliver want to call it Verdant?" Tommy hadn't known that Oliver had thought of a name for the bar, not that Tommy really minded, but he was curious now as to what it could possibly have meant for him.

Felicity just smiled, she knew this story, she had asked Oliver the same question months ago.

"_So, you never actually told me - why do you want to name the bar Verdant? I mean, how did you even come up with that?" Felicity looked over at Oliver, finding him lounging comfortably on her couch. For once they had ended up at her place, he needed to get out of the mansion, needed to get away from his father and mother. _

_Oliver seemed comfortable in her apartment, it wasn't very big, the whole thing was probably not much bigger than Oliver's own bedroom, closet and en suite if she was being honest but it was hers and she loved it. He had settled in instantly, he looked at home next to her, the TV on in the background. She never thought that Oliver would find comfort in her small home and Oliver never thought that it would just feel so simple being there. _

_He had let his mind wander, zoning out from the TV and the show that was playing, he was comfortable sitting with Felicity, having her so close by that nothing else mattered. He let his mind wander to what he had planned for his life, well what he wanted from his life because what he had planned and wanted were two completely different things. But all he did know was that Felicity had been one of the only people who had supported him no matter what he wanted or what he thought. _

_She would challenge him when she needed to, yell at him and force him to think about his actions but she was also incredible kind and supportive no matter how crazy his ideas were. Like the bar for example. No one in their right mind would believe that Oliver Queen would be able to own, build and manage a bar. He couldn't even stay in a college long enough to graduate but she had smiled at him, encouraged his ideas and even helped with some of the planning. Her eyes lighting up at the idea of setting some cool looking IT system that he would have no idea how to run. _

_Felicity's voice had found its way into his ears, pulling his attention from the TV and back to her but it was clear that he hadn't heard her though. Leaning over, Felicity placed her hand against Oliver's shoulder, causing his head to jerk up to look at her. He took all of her in, the way she looked at him with her head to the side, love and caring the only thing shining in her eyes. He was happy here, content. _

_He blinked, trying to piece together what she had said but after a moment he hadn't even a clue, "I'm sorry, what?" Oliver rubbed his eyes; something was bothering him more than he was letting on. Felicity had noticed that he had been quieter than normal that day, they'd walked around Starling like they had on many other occasions but silence had replaced the usual laughter that came from him. _

_Shuffling closer to Oliver, Felicity moved her hand from his shoulder to wrap around his wrist, squeezing it tightly. "Hey what's going on?" Her voice was quiet, she wasn't going to push him more than he wanted to give. _

_Oliver sighed and looked down at the hand on his wrist, warmth seeping under his skin. Why did it feel so right to feel that warmth there? Another squeeze brought his eyes back up to hers, a concerned look filling the blue he found there. Deciding that he was just going to take the warmth she gave and not think anything of it, Oliver smiled and shook his head, "Nothing. I'm ok. Just tired I guess. Didn't sleep well last night." He shrugged, shifting in his seat to be closer to her, his hand resting on top of hers still on his wrist. _

_Felicity watched him sceptically, she didn't believe him in the slightest but Oliver was Oliver and he would always come to here when he was ready. It was clear that at the moment, he wasn't ready for whatever it was that was bothering him. "I asked how you go to Verdant. Why you want to name your bar that." _

_Oliver nodded and thought for a minute, "Honestly I'm not sure. Do you remember when you came over and Thea made us take her to see that Disney movie?" He waited; he had no idea what movie they had seen but it was the memory of him sitting next to Felicity that he remembered most. She nodded, "You were wearing a white top with the word Verdant across it." He shrugged, looking away from her. "I just remember looking at it and thinking that it would make a great name. Plus, green is my favourite colour." _

_Felicity just blinked at Oliver - the fact that he could remember that specific event shocked her a little. It was a shirt, nothing special but he has used the word. "Oh well then I'm glad I wore the shirt for you that day. Not that I wore it for you, I mean I do know green is your favourite colour but I didn't pick it out so you'd notice me - it..." Felicity placed her fingers to her lips, effectively shutting down the babbling. _

_She hated when she babbled, it was nervous habit, but why was she nervous? Did Oliver make her nervous? She seemed to only babble when she was around him. Why would be make her nervous? Oh god she was babbling inside her own head as well now. _

_But Oliver just laughed a little, turning his head back to the TV, settling into a comfortable silence._

Felicity smiled back at Tommy, wanting to keep that small secret to herself for as long as possible, the last thing she needed to was Tommy knowing that Oliver named his club after something she wore one day. Shrugging her shoulders, she went back eating what was left of her burger.

**Any love? :D **


	8. Breaking Down

**Thanks for all the love from the last chapter! Your reviews keep me writing! I am starting to incorporate more of the lines from the show into the chapters, i hope they are working well for you all. If you have any specific character lines you want me to add in, let me know!**

**i am so glad you are enjoying this idea...im enjoying writing it :) Hopefully a little more explanation in this chapter. I hope it reads well for you all****!**

**Chapter 8 – Breaking Down **

His entire body was shaking, writhing against the contact on his back, the pain shooting through his whole body as the currant made its way from his fingers to his toes. Again, Oliver found himself hung by the arms, he really was over this position, but today the form of torture had taken on another form. Electric shock. Something the men around him clearly found entertaining as they laughed at him while he tried to pull away from the pain.

He had finally recovered from his fever, it had broken days before being strung up again and he was given a day of reprieve by the men but now they were back, angrier than ever and he had no idea why. Once the pain had stopped, Oliver let his head hang forward, trying to keep himself awake long enough to show that he wasn't weak.

But it didn't last long – the wet cloth was placed back on his back – sending more shocks through his body. Oliver let out a gut-wrenching cry as it was turned up, his body starting to shake. But he would not pass out, he wanted to stay strong for himself. Prove that he wasn't a push over.

Russian murmuring started in his ear; he could hear the discussion between the men but couldn't understand what was being said. As his head hung against his outstretched arm, Oliver suddenly felt a small amount of pressure on his shoulder, instinctively he shrunk away from the touch. "You are strong American…we have use for you…" The thick accent spoke in very broken English but Oliver didn't care. If they thought he could be of use to them, that might mean that he wouldn't have to put with the torture anymore.

He felt his body being moved from his position, silently thankful that his arms were now by his side once more, the blood rushing back to his fingers. They dragged him back to his sell, the cold concrete floor against his bare back was dulling the pain slightly as they dropped him. If he had any strength left, Oliver would have removed the shirt he was wearing. Between the slice on his ribs and now the electrical burns on his back, as well as the punches and kicks that had been thrown his way, there wasn't much left of the shirt.

But instead he used the strength he had left to slide his hand under the mattress, pulling the small photo from its hiding place. It had been worn out from Oliver holding it so tightly every morning and night over the last 6 months that he was surprised that he could see the picture still. But he could. Tommy and Felicity smiling back at him. Bringing the photo to his chest, Oliver curled up on his side, finally letting the pain take him over and the darkness seep in behind his eyes.

* * *

"So what is this place?" Oliver had tried to keep himself quiet for as long as he could, he had kept his mouth shut for the last few weeks, mostly letting his body heal as much as he could from the beatings he had received, the wounds he had were now scarred over. The electrical burn on his lower back had healed up, scaring the skin that would have no doubt been perfect otherwise. It was a large scar, Anatoly telling him that it took up almost a third of his back, Oliver had scoffed _chicks dig scars, right?_

It still hurt, the movements he was forced to make now that he was working on the land would pull and tightened the skin, but it was mostly just a tightness than a pain. One of the other reason's he hadn't asked any questions was because Anatoly hadn't been on the land with him in the same area, as far as he knew Anatoly was in another part of the field and no one else spoke English.

But that changed one day when Anatoly came to stand by his side, his own tools in his hand and so Oliver had taken his chance to get more information on what was actually happening on the island. "It's a drug field. They grow the plants here that are then transported to the United States before its production."

Oliver furrowed his brows at Anatoly, wondering how he could have known that. Oliver had expected Anatoly to just shrug and say he didn't know. It was more information than he thought he'd get, "How is that something that you know?"

Anatoly shrugged, "See that man over there?" He motioned to one of the guards, his large weapon seated in his hands. Oliver nodded, "I was that man. It was my job to oversee the packing distribution of the plants. Do not mistake my participation as a choice Oliver…" Anatoly knew that Oliver was going to ask next, what happened? "That same man happened. He wanted my job and so I ended up here…" He shrugged; Anatoly really had sort of just come to go with whatever happened to him now.

Oliver continued to try and pick the flowers that he was being forced to do. "Tell me about it all? Where in the US does this stuff go? What sort of drug is it?" He glanced around, Oliver had spent the last few weeks tracking the guards, trying to work out what the patterns were and how that might help him get off this island.

Anatoly sighed, glancing behind him as well, making sure that no one was around that would over hear them. "This flower…" he holds up the flower in his hand, "When mixed with the right chemicals it caused incredibly realistic hallucinations and creates a high like no other. They use the easiest city to get into…Starling City." Oliver stood up straight suddenly, the knowledge that his home town was home to the production of this terrible drug. "It was easy to get it the city. The rich are easily corruptible…" Anatoly shrugged not realizing that his words hit Oliver closer to home. Which rich was he talking about? His family? His family friends? There was too much to suddenly thing of.

Furrowing his brow at Anatoly, Oliver narrowed his eyes, his friend had just told him that his home town was involved in the production and distribution of a highly addictive and dangerous new drug. But Anatoly was able to read Oliver's facial expressions, "Do not mistake participation for willingness Oliver. These men – they are dangerous and they will get you to do what they want."

Oliver nodded, he understood that, after everything that had happened, he understood that these people could make you do anything. "Why did he want your job?" Oliver glanced over at the guard that Anatoly had pointed out previously.

"He did not like that I did not want to push the workers, so he pushed me. And now I am worker." It was a simple, a matter of fact answer.

"возвращайся к работе! (_Get back to work!)" _Oliver missed the guard who came up behind him, noticing that he had stopped working. The sudden stinging struck Oliver's back, the whip connecting with his skin with a painful crack. And again. And again. 5 times, the whip cracked against Oliver's skin. Sending him to his knees, cries escaping his lips.

Oliver groaned was he rose to his feet, leaning on the shovel he was holding for support. Anatoly has reached for him, helping Oliver to his feet. Glancing over his shoulder, Oliver eyed off the man who had just whipped him, the smirk shining brightly on his face. "американская свинья" he laughed before moving back to his original position.

Oliver glared at him, _American pig,_ that was a statement that he understood, Anatoly had been teaching Oliver Russian while they had time. He was getting the hang of it, it was slow and his accent had been horrible but Oliver was a quick study when he wanted to be - and at this point he had nothing else to do with his time.

Dropping his head, Oliver went back to his work, his back aching with every movement but he knew that stopping wasn't an option. Instead he just worked through the pain, pushing harder, allowing his mind to slip towards the memories he had of Thea, Tommy and Felicity.

* * *

Oliver glanced over at Anatoly, taking in his surroundings. They had to get out. They had to find their way off the island, no matter what getting off was the most important mission to him right now. The weather around them was hot during the day, the sweat dripping down his torn shirt, the nights were freezing, his whole body shaking to try and keep himself warm, thankfully though, it had taken almost 6 months on this place, but Oliver's body had started to become accustomed to the cold nights.

It had been a week since his back had healed from the whipping he had been given, the crossed scars on his back no long sting as he moved, but the memory of the pain was there, ever present, mixing into the memories of the pain from the electric shock and the knife to his ribs. It was all just pain, waking him up from nightmares at all times of the night.

When they had brought him to the fields with the rest of the workers, Oliver was lucky enough to have been able to grab the thin blanket that was on the cot in the cell and the he had been able to slip the photo of Tommy and Felicity into his pocket, he never wanted to let that go. He had been set up in a tent like the others, having nothing more than the ground and his own arm as a pillow.

"Where is the plane kept?" Oliver asked Anatoly quietly one day, his head down over his work to not bring attention to himself. He really didn't need a repeat of the last time he was noticed to be talking. He looked around, trying to get the layout of the land they were on, trying to figure out how he was going to get home.

Oliver Queen was not a stupid person, he was dumb or an idiot. Lazy...yes. Stupid...no. He may not have had any interest in schooling or studies but he was a very intelligent man, he knew his skills lay more on the doing than the studying. "Other side of the island. Never lands in the same place..." Anatoly looks over at the Asian man who seemed to just be working with his head down as fast as he could.

He seemed old, almost frail but had a strength about him. "He would know. But he does not speak English..." Oliver looked over at the man, taking him in. Wondering how the hell he was going to get his help if he didn't speak English. It was clear that he didn't speak Russian either, the man seemed to be of Asian origin, even the few phrases that Anatoly had taught Oliver wouldn't help him out in communicating with the man.

Oliver eyed the man for a moment, instantly catching it, they watched each other, almost as though they were both challenging the other to make the first move. "How am I supposed to talk to him if he doesn't speak English or Russian?" Oliver sighed; Anatoly wasn't much help to him at that moment.

Anatoly shrugged, "That is not something I know. But I do know that he will know where the plan is." Oliver's only reply was a groan. He needed to think of something.

It was late that night when Oliver decided he was going to take his chance. He hadn't been able to sleep, the last few nights he had been walking through the thin material of the tent, he watched and counted and timed each time a guard would come past the tent and how long between them that the next would come.

When he felt that it was a safe time, Oliver slipped from the tent, the moonlight lighting up his way. Slowly he crept past the other tents, being incredibly quiet as not to disturb anyone. Making his way into the bush land behind him, Oliver followed the tracked path at his feet, unsure of where it was going to lead but he needed to try something. Picking up a sharp looking twig from the ground, he began to dig a mark into the trees he past, giving himself a way back to the camp when he was done looking around.

Not sure how long he walked for, Oliver suddenly stumbled down a small embankment before coming to a stop. Groaning, Oliver rolled over, brushing his hand over his face. Could he go a few minutes without getting hurt? Rolling onto his side, a flash caught Oliver's eyes, the moonlight reflecting off the wing of the plane.

He had found it.

Smiling to himself, he rose to his feet, he had finally found a way off the island, now he just needed to plan the escape. Turing back to make his way back to his tent, Oliver didn't see the fist the collided with his face, sending him back to the ground. Oliver scrambled to his feet as quick as he could. You never want to be on the bottom of a fight. It was something he had always remembered; he and Tommy had been in a few fights in the past.

Throwing his hands up quickly, Oliver was able to block the next few punches that came his way, landing a couple of his own. The fight suddenly found them both of the ground, wrestling with each other, Oliver was finally on top, landing his own fists to the guards face and stomach but that was only before he was flipped over, the guard now taking the opportunity to land more punches, splitting Oliver's lip and his bloodying his nose.

Oliver reached, grasping for anything that he could find, trying to protect himself. His hand landed on a rock and before he knew it the rock was connecting with the guard's head. One, two, three, four times. Enough to send him flying to the ground. Oliver panted for a moment, there was no moment next to him, the guard was still, blood pouring from his head. Oliver turned onto his knees, looking down at the man who had just tried to beat him to death, staring down at his face, the man's eyes wide open, the emptiness staring back at him.

Oliver had killed the guard; he had killed the man who had tried to kill him.

Oliver had killed a man.

It was as if Oliver didn't have any control over his body, once on his knees, his stomach gave way, emptying the very limited contents. His hands shaking as he realized what he had just done. He had killed someone, taken a life with his own hands.

What had he become?

Pushing himself from the ground, Oliver scrambled to his feet, feeling them slip from under him as he tired to get out there and rushed from the scene, leaving behind the plane, the body and a little piece of himself.

* * *

"You and Laurel have been spending a bit of time together recently..." Felicity had been trying breach the subject of Laurel with Tommy for a couple of weeks now but they'd been so busy with the set up or Verdant and their respective jobs, that she just never had the time. But tonight, as they were almost finished setting up the club, they'd ordered burgers, had a few beers and sat on the floor.

_Their _club.

They had finally done it. It had taken almost 7 months to organise, clean out all the old equipment, have it cleaned of any dangerous excess materials, their stuff set up and Felicity to do the electronics. 7 long months of fun and laughter and tears and arguments but they had finally made it. All the big stuff was done and opening night was going to be in a few weeks.

Tommy blushes brightly at her question, trying to hide behind the beer that was now at his lips. He was smirking at Felicity, Tommy knew that Felicity wasn't stupid, she knew that Tommy and Laurel had been spending time with each other - she also knew that Tommy was feeling a little more than friendship towards Laurel these days.

"Oh, come on. She is a friend...don't look at me like that!" He laughed, reaching over to eat more of her fries before she could stop him, giving her a little shove in the shoulder at the same time.

Rocking against the shove Felicity just raised her eyebrow at him. "Tommy, we..." she motioned between the two of them with her hand, "...are friends." Tommy just smiled at her, keeping his silence, he did not want to admit anything to Felicity. "You know...if you have feelings for Laurel, it's not a bad thing." Felicity became serious for the first time since she started teasing him.

Placing his beer down on the floor beside him, Tommy sighed, "But it's _Laurel._ I shouldn't have feelings for her. She is Oliver's ex, my best friend's - who is dead - ex. I can't have _feelings_ for her." He sounded upset and frustrated, almost like he had been having this same argument with himself. Running a hand over his face, Tommy finally looked at Felicity. "He would be so pissed if he knew..."

Felicity thought for a moment, "I don't think he would be. I actually think that considering he is gone - he'd want the two most important people in his life to be happy. And if that's with each other, I think he'd understand." Tommy just nodded, the battle inside of him clear.

Tommy thought for a moment, taking in her words. Would Oliver really be ok knowing his best friend had feelings for his ex-girlfriend? Deciding it was time to change the subject away from himself and Laurel, Tommy looked at Felicity, "What about you huh? You were a very important part of Oliver's life…how are you doing?" It had been a while since they had really talked about how they were handling not having Oliver around. Tommy had seen a few times when Felicity just seemed far away, like she was struggling.

But before she could answer an alert on his phone caught Tommy's attention, "You ready for this?" Felicity just shook her head, she really wasn't. "Too bad...they are here..." moments later the entrance door swung open and Moira, Robert and Thea made their way inside. Thea looked very intrigued, running straight to Tommy who hugged her tightly. She has started to latch onto Tommy a lot more now that Oliver was gone, he had become her big brother.

"Hey guys! Thanks for coming..." Felicity stood from the floor, brushing herself off, she was nervous. It would be the first time that the Queen's would be seeing Verdant, Robert had sold it off to Tommy with no issues, but he had not really asked anymore questions about what he was going to do with it. Getting right to the point, Felicity spoke, "So ... you are standing in what was Oliver's dreams, his vision and his ideas." She looked around; her arms raised in a way to show off the space.

The Queen's took in the bar off to the right, a long line of stools and space to for people to move and order. To the left was a large DJ space - or live band, which Felicity made sure Tommy agreed to allow at least once a month - a large stair case in the middle leading up to the VIP/function area that overlooked the dance floor. There was silence in the room, Moira just taking everything in, the booths off to one side that lines the walls, the tables to the other side of the dance floor. Robert seemed stoic, hardest to read and Thea just looked surprised.

"We kept everything that Oliver had wanted, all of this was his ideas. Felicity had his drawings and reports and plans as so we just had put it all together. With the exception of the electronic and lighting. Oliver had already given her free reign of those anyway." Tommy looked towards Felicity who just smiled at him while she moved to stand beside the bar.

"Thea if you could get the lights by the door..." she motioned for Thea to move the large industrial handle that controlled the lights, to which she did plunging the room into darkness as well as silence. None of the Queen's had spoken yet. You could hear a pin drop. "Now...the code for the lighting... Late Ada Jonas 11900..." Felicity spoke the code loudly, not missing the sharp intake a breath from Moira when she had heard Oliver's middle name. She hadn't told Tommy the code yet – wanting it to be a surprise for him as well.

The darkened room suddenly light up in a bright green lighting, the lights along the bar and stage lit up the flooring in the same green, the walls dotted with different shades of green. But it was the bar that caught the Queen's attention. Lit up behind the bar, in the middle of the bottles of alcohol that will no doubt be stocked in the next few weeks was three simple letters, outlined in their own green colouring.

OJQ.

Felicity smiled as she turned back to the letters, her fingers instinctively touching the industrial bar in her ear. "I wanted something for Oliver, something that could be seen, so no matter who comes here…they will know who made this place possible." Moira sniffed a little as she pulled Thea into a hug. "And in saying that – I have been able to do a bit of not so legal stuff with the paperwork on this place."

The group turned towards her, unsure of what she was talking about. "…this place is currently set up as Tommy and Oliver as co-owners. And I've been able to rig it so that he will never be removed from that standing but when Thea turns 21, she will assume Oliver's position as co-owner and then the three of their names will be on the ownership papers. Oliver would have wanted Thea to be involved and this place will always be part of Oliver's legacy."

Thea whimpered as she listened to Felicity speak, rushing to her side and hugging her tightly. "Thank you." Silence filled the club once more, Tommy and Felicity still nervous about what the Queens were thinking, even though they so far seemed to be happy about it all.

Finally, Robert spoke, for the first time he had walked into the club, "Felicity, you said that Oliver created all of this…that he had plans and designs…do you have them still?"

Felicity nodded, "Yeah they are upstairs on the desk, the ones rolled up…" the group watched as Robert made his way up the stairs in the corner of the club, step by step until he had disappeared into the room, his silhouette the only thing that could been seen of him when the lights turned on.

The rest of the group talked for about 10 minutes, Thea asking many questions about the club and what they had planned, Tommy taking over most of the talking considering he was the one running it. Moira had disappeared towards the office after minutes of Robert not coming back. That's where she found him, standing with his back to the door, the plans rolled out on the desk, his head bent over and his hands resting on the paper. He wasn't moving.

Slowly she approached him, she placed her hand on his back. "Robert…"

"He came to me before he left on that boat. He had…he had these plans rolled up under his arm. Oliver came to me with his plans for this club, he had thought it all through, brought me ideas and reports and I kicked him out. I told him he needed to grow up and forget the club and finish college. And then he got on that damn boat!" Robert was angry now; he had pushed his son away when all he wanted was a little trust from his father.

"Robert…you can't blame yourself about this."

But he pulled away, "Our son got on that boat because I pushed him away this…" he lifted his arms around him, motioning to the whole club that his two best friends had built with his plans. "And now our son … is dead…" His shoulders hunched, his words falling from his lips, his head falling. Moira rushed to his side, pressing her arms around him. "I should have listened to him; I should have been proud of him…" was all he could say as he pulled Moira closer.

* * *

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" The music cut off as Tommy stood on the stage in front of the DJ, his hand holding a drink and a microphone. He looked down at the group of people around him, the club had been filled almost instantly, the hype around the opening had grown the minute that Felicity had sent out the email dump to all social media accounts to anyone who had already signed up to other clubs in the city.

The mass of people turned to him, he smiled brightly at them, "I want to welcome you to the grand opening of Verdant!" Everyone cheered, clapping at him. "So, most of you know that my…actually wait…" he paused for a second, looking for Felicity. When he found her standing by the side of the stage, he reached his hand out for her, bringing her to his side. "Most of you know that _our_ best friend Oliver Queen died 8 months ago. But before he died, he and Felicity designed this amazing set up. This club is Oliver's ideas and plans and his hard work. We just had the chance to put it together for him."

Handing his champagne to Felicity, Tommy reached for her free hand. "Please, we would like you to raise a glass in honour of the man who made this possible, the man we both loved, the man we both lost. Oliver Queen!" Felicity took a sip of her drink, smiling brightly as the rest of the group did the same. Happy to know that they had finally brought something together that was Oliver's and now something that they could both hold onto.

Moving off the stage, the music started up again, the thumping of the base taking over Felicity's chest, Tommy smiling back at her. "Oliver would be so proud. He would be so proud of you Felicity…" He placed his hand on her shoulder. Felicity just smiled tightly at Tommy; she had promised herself she would not cry tonight. Not again.

Glancing over Tommy's shoulder, Felicity spotted Laurel sitting by the bar, just watching them both. Inclining her head, "Laurel is over there…" Tommy turned around and found his smile growing bigger when he saw her. "Go…" she pushed him a little in the chest, encouraging him to go to her.

"Are you sure?" Tommy didn't want to leave Felicity in the bar on her own.

But she just nodded, "Yeah, I'm gonna head off anyway. I've got a few things to do tomorrow anyway." She reached up and hugged him.

"Are you sure Felicity, the night has really only just started…" He didn't want her to leave, Tommy could see that there was something in her eyes, something she was hiding.

But Felicity smiled, "Good night…" she placed a kiss on his cheek before pushing him a little harder towards Laurel.

By the time Felicity had gotten home it was late, after midnight. She changed out of her short, tight dress into her most comfy pyjama pants and the green hoodie that she had stolen from Oliver's closet months ago, it still smelt like him – which is what she needed on nights like tonight. Curling up on the couch, Felicity brought her knees to her chest, pulling the hood around her shoulder to her face before she buried her face in the material.

Taking in a deep breath, letting what was left of Oliver's scent take over her, Felicity held the photo of her, Oliver and Tommy against her chest, let her eyes slip closed and then the tears fell, a deep sob racking her whole body as she broke down again for not the first time in the last month.


	9. That's Why They Call it the Blues

**Oh wow, so i'm so sorry for the late update! I have struggled with this chapter a lot but also life and training has gotten in the way - i had 2 law exams, firearms week AND 2 practical assessments to get through in the last few weeks so its been crazy!**

**I hope people are still interested in reading this and i do promise the gang will be back together - soon i hope!**

**Chapter 9 – That's Why They Call it the Blues. **

Oliver's knees hit the ground with a painful thud, the hard, wet ground below his body, his hands slipping against the sludge below. A deep groan slipped from his lips with the aching feeling that was resonating through Oliver's body as Anatoly circled him once more, like an animal and its prey. "Get up Oliver..." Landing another punch to the side of Oliver's face, sending him body flat into the wet mud.

Coughing, Oliver pushed himself up slowly, spitting out a clump of blood that had formed in his mouth. "Get up Oliver..." Finally, Oliver was standing once more, staggering on the spot a little, not wanting to give Anatoly the chance to get to him again but Anatoly had other plans, instead of setting out land another punch, he lunged at Oliver, sending them both crashing to the ground. Quickly Oliver covered his face with his forearms, blocking all the punches that were being thrown his way.

He needed to find a way to get the upper hand, Oliver needed to find a way to land his own punches on Anatoly. It wasn't that Oliver had never been in a fight before, quite the contrary, he had been in many fights but most of them were against other drunks who could barely stand on their own two feet let alone land a punch. So, he had always come off as the winner.

But not now. Not tonight, not against Anatoly.

Rolling his hips out of pure instinct, Oliver was able to swing Anatoly off of his body, sending the older man tumbling into the muddy ground beside him. Taking the opportunity, Oliver scrambled to his feet, leaning his own body weight on Anatoly before swing one, two, three punches at his body, fighting the urge to wrap his hands around Anatoly's throat.

Oliver's moment of hesitation was enough for Anatoly to gain the upper hand once more, twisting his body so he was suddenly laying on top of Oliver, who was now face down in the mud, both his arms pinned behind his back. All Oliver could do was kick his legs and try to get out of the situation but it was clear he wasn't going to. Letting his body go slack again Anatoly, Oliver let out a huff, telling Anatoly that he was done, that the fight was over and he was admitting defeat.

Slowly Anatoly rolled off Oliver, sitting by his side on the wet ground, both of the men huffing out breaths into the cold North China air. "You…can't…give…up…Oliver…" Each word was punctuated with a breath, Anatoly sucking in deeply as he watched Oliver rise to his knees very slowly.

S_omehow Oliver had made his way back to the camp, he had stumbled blindly, unsure of where he was going or how he got back without getting lost, he found himself leaning against an old tree just by the side of the camp site, his legs finally giving out from under him causing him to sink to the ground, his head falling into his hands. The guards had clearly all fallen asleep, it was not unusual for that to happen after about midnight, no one was really going to run away…where would they go? So, they did their rounds and fell asleep. _

"_Oliver…" _

_Oliver's head shot up at the sound of someone's voice, it was then he noticed that his hands were shaking, the blood had finally dried and was starting to crack. Instantly Oliver started trying to rub it off, scratching at his own hands to try and force the dry blood away from his skin. "Oliver?" The voice tried again, this time it was closer to him, louder even. _

_But Oliver didn't look up, he just kept trying to clean off his hands not even realizing that they were already clean. The pressure of someone else's hands on his caught his attention and Oliver looked up to find Anatoly and the other Asian man, the one they knew couldn't speak English, staring at him. _

_Neither of them had seen Oliver slink off into the night, but they had seen the movement of him coming back but then had seen the slow movements of him against the tree. "I killed him…he ah…he attacked me and I killed him…" There was a broken part of Oliver that allowed the words to come out. A piece of himself missing, he didn't even recognize his own voice. _

_Anatoly glanced at the man behind him, something unspoken between the two men and the other turned away, his back retreating from view. "Oliver…it's ok. You did what you had to…its ok…" But Oliver just continued to try and scrub his already clean hands clean. Moments later the man returned, handing something small to Anatoly. _

_Again, Anatoly reached for Oliver's hands, still his movements, before he placed the small object down into his palm. "Look at them…look Oliver…" his words were forceful, forcing Oliver to actually listen to him for a moment. Doing as he was told, Oliver looked down at the small picture in his hands, the worn out edges a familiar setting for him. He started at the faces of Tommy and Felicity, smiling back at him. "You did it to survive. To get back to them. Always remember that…"_

And so that's how Oliver and Anatoly found themselves spending most of their nights over the last week, once the guards had gone to sleep, pitted against each other in a fist fight, trying to improve Oliver's abilities. But Anatoly had won all of the last 10 nights, Oliver just getting more and more frustrated as the nights went on.

"Oliver, you need to work harder!" Anatoly narrowed his eyes at Oliver, he was getting angry at Oliver, his own patience wearing thin. But all he got in return was a deep growl from Oliver, his own anger coming through. Suddenly Oliver popped up onto his feet, lunging at Anatoly, before slamming him into the tree behind them. From there, Oliver was able to pin Anatoly to the tree before swinging them both, his forearm wrapping around Anatoly's throat, another growl rumbling in his chest.

After a moment, Anatoly's knees gave out on him, his whole body plus Oliver's dropping to the ground, Oliver's pressure letting off enough that Anatoly could breathe again. "You need to learn to harness that anger Oliver, that power that you have. Without the anger, you would be able to focus more…" Oliver and Anatoly looked over to the man who until that moment, they both assumed only spoke Chinese.

Oliver huffed, "So you do speak English…" he shouldn't have been surprised, it was a wonder how the man had even gotten to the island considering he didn't speak Russian. Oliver pushed himself up onto his feet once more, glancing between Anatoly and the man. Oliver shook his head, his body starting to tire from the day's work and the nights activities. He needed sleep and he needed to _rest. _14 months, 14 long months of being on this hell hole of a place, he felt like his body was fighting itself, fighting the will to live and the desire to just die.

"Yao Fei…" The man pointed to himself, giving both the men his name. "You must learn to fight; fighting is strength and strength will keep you alive. If you want to get off this island, we will need to work harder and faster and fight. And we need to get away from here…" He then walked away from the two men, leaving them standing in the now pouring rain.

Shivering, Oliver leaned down to help Anatoly up off the floor, sending him an apologetic look before stalking off in the same direction as Yao Fei had gone, apparently that was back towards their prisoner camp. 14 months of living in fear and pain and now, they finally had some sort of direction to a plan to get off the island, not just an idea.

* * *

"Get down!" Anatoly's voice echoed in the darkness of the small camp that had been set up for the three men. It had been two weeks since they had successfully disappeared into the night, making their way as fast and as far as they could in the dark, only stopping once day had broken. Yao Fei had tracked them to an old plane site, the wreckage in pieces but held together enough to provide cover from the elements and a safe space to sleep.

Together they worked with Oliver on his abilities to fight, finding that he had been able improve in leaps and bounds since Yao Fei had taken over his training. But that did not mean that the Russian's stopped trying to find them. Each day the three would venture out from their hiding place, rushing from place to place, gathering food and clean water. Yao Fei had taken up the role of hunting, his abilities with a bow and arrow was beyond anything Oliver had seen in his life.

Luckily, they had been able to stay out of the view of the Russian's looking for them, each day and night came without an incident. But not today.

Today hadn't really gone to plan at all for them. Yao Fei and Oliver had gone out hunting, the rain had eased off and so they took the chance of catching something other than a bird or two. Just as Yao Fie had aimed his arrow into the rabbit that had popped his head up, they had heard the thumping of footsteps behind them.

Anatoly rushed by their sides, trying to find his own place to hide from the incoming men, Yao Fei took off instantly, finding his way up a tree, scaling it easily. Oliver was not as lucky, his feet could feel the movement on the ground before he was even able to get behind a tree, thankful that the men were too focused on the other direction that they didn't actually see Oliver hide.

Resting his back against the tree, Oliver tried to steady his breathing, keeping it low and slow so it couldn't be hear and would also help to bring his heart rate down. Closing his eyes, Oliver clenched his fits, trying to keep himself as hidden as possible. Glancing to his side when he heard the movement of plants to his left, noticing that the guard was tracking right by him but still didn't know he was there.

But he did notice the movement of Anatoly only meters away, his weapon raised, his step slowing. There was no way to tell if Anatoly had known that he had been seen and so Oliver knew it was up to him to distract him in some way. Taking two deep breaths, Oliver rounded the opposite side of the tree, rolling around it so he was coming up behind the guard.

What Oliver was going to do when he reached him? He honestly had no idea but he had to do something to help his friend. Step by step, Oliver was able to reach the guards back without being heard, his footsteps lighter than he ever thought possible and in an instant his forearm wrapped around the guard's neck, much like he had done to Anatoly weeks ago, his whole body latching onto the guards back like he was getting a piggy back ride.

The more the guard thrashed, the tighter Oliver held on, squeezing his muscles around his throat, cutting off whatever circulation the guard had left. Slowly the guard dropped to his knees, also much like Anatoly had done in the same situation with Oliver. From there, Oliver slipped his body from the back of the guard, to the front, reversing his hold, the guard's neck sitting right under his armpit.

With a quick flash of his gaze to Anatoly, who was now staring at Oliver, Oliver closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before leaning his weight backwards, bringing the guards chin and head backwards all the while snapping his own body at the same time, hearing and feeling the snap of the neck bones under his own hands.

This was the second time a small part of Oliver was lost to that island.

Yao Fei and Anatoly found themselves at Oliver's side, the three men looking down at the body at their feet. This was the moment that everything changed for Oliver. He had taken another life with his hands, no weapon or help…he was the weapon.

* * *

How could she be standing here again? Felicity had been to more funerals in the last 18 months than she ever had in her entire life, something she never actually wanted to do again. Another day to say goodbye to someone she cared about. Another day to cry and grieve and another day to watch her friends fall apart.

Thea clung to Felicity, her little arms wrapped around her waist, holding Felicity as tight to her as she possibly could. Felicity would never let go, she wouldn't let Thea down and she wouldn't leave her. The poor young girl had lost her big brother, the person she looked up to the most, the one she wanted to be by her side for ever and a day.

And now, there they stood, on the thick grass of the Queen grounds, the darkening clouds taking over the skies. Thea has lost her big brother and now her father. Robert Queen has died of a heart attack, the stress of losing Oliver and work piling up had taking over his life over the last 12 months and now he was gone.

Felicity hated that word.

Gone.

It was so final, painful and ending.

Oliver was there one day, laughing next to her, smiling or hugging her and then he was just gone. Disappearing from her life, losing the one person that she held most dear.

Robert Queen was having a drink one night with his wife after a long day at the office, talking about his day and then he was just gone.

Sighing, she hugged Thea closer to her side, the 15-year-old clutching to her, Tommy standing by Felicity's other side, his hand in hers. Mostly because it was an all too familiar reminder to them both of the day, they buried the empty coffin in the grave next to Robert's. Laurel was on his other side, her hand also in his.

The rest of the service was a blur for Felicity, she remembered Moira crying, Thea sobbing, Tommy tightening his grip on Felicity's hand and she just stood there, staring at the open grave, the coffin being lowered gently into it. Never in her life had Felicity thought she would have to stand in this part of the back garden again, she had pushed aside the memories of the last time she was there.

Somehow, Felicity had found herself standing in front of Oliver's headstone, what felt like hours later but if you'd asked her, there was no way Felicity could have told anyone how long she had been standing there.

"Hey..."

Felicity's head popped up at the sound of the voice behind her. She hadn't expected anyone still be out there let along coming to her side. It had been probably well over an hour since Roberts funeral and everyone had made their way inside. Everyone except Felicity and it seemed Tommy.

Glancing to her side, Felicity found Tommy standing right by her side, his hands in his pockets, the collar of his jacket pulled up to cover his neck, the cold wind had picked up the minute the service for Robert was over. They both stood in silence for what felt like forever, both staring at the cream coloured headstone with Oliver's name scrawled across the front of it.

It was just over 12 months since he'd disappeared and had been declared dead, actually 14 months and 8 days (but who was counting?) leaving a hole in both of their lives and their hearts. "I miss him so much..." Felicity spoke softly, hold her own hands tightly against themselves. It was true, Oliver had become such a staple in her life that she didn't even realised there was a time he wasn't in it. She missed him, missed his voice and his smile. It now felt like she was missing a part of herself because he was gone. She'd been so-

"You loved him."

It wasn't a question or an accusation, it was just a comment, a realisation that Tommy should have had when Oliver was still around. After a few slow and steadying breaths Felicity looked up at him, blinking back the tears, but it didn't do much to stop them from falling. "I think so. I mean I know I—" she swallowed back the lump that had suddenly formed, she couldn't lie to herself anymore let alone Tommy. "Yeah I guess I did."

It was a realisation that Felicity had come to not long after Oliver's death, she had dreamed about him every night, just hearing his voice or his seeing his smile or feeling his touch. He was just the comforting presence that surrounded her when she slept but left her as she woke up. She always knew there was more to her feelings for him than friendship but love? Love was not something she wanted to admit to herself.

Slowly, Tommy slipped his arm around Felicity's shoulder, bringing her into his side. They stood in silence together, remembering the times they had with Oliver as the afternoon turned to evening around them. "I think he loved you too you know…" Tommy finally spoke, holding her tighter around the shoulders. "I had never seen Oliver so intent on spending time with someone who wasn't me that I think he loved you more than he was willing to admit."

Felicity sniffed, there was so much of her that wanted to hear that Oliver loved her, that there was even a possibility that playboy Oliver Queen could have had any feelings for her at all past friendship but the fact that Oliver wasn't there and that he was dead, Felicity really didn't want to know that sort of information when there was nothing she could do with it.

Instead she just curled herself into Tommy's side, hanging on to him as she remembered Oliver and his light that shone in her life. She loved Oliver Queen but he was never coming back to her.

* * *

"_Oliver..." her voice lit up the world around him, her light laughter echoing in his head. Oliver looked around, finding Felicity floating in the pool in the backyard of the Queens mansion. It wasn't often that they were able to get into the pool on such a nice day without Thea or her friends taking over so Oliver planned on making use of the time he could spend with Felicity, alone. Smiling, he padded barefoot to the side of the pool, the sun beating down on his bare back and shoulders. _

_But he didn't care about the heat of the sun, Felicity was smirking at him from the water, wading her way to meet him by the edge. Slowly he sat and lay on his stomach, his chin on the back of his hands resting against the edge of the pool, inches from her wet face, her hair sticking to the sides of her face, droplets on her eyelashes. _

"_Hey baby..." he whispered as he sucked in a deep breath, calm and happy as he lay on the hot bricks. "You look relaxed." He somehow had known she had felt stressed lately by had no idea why she had felt that way. He honestly had no idea how he even knew she'd been stressed. She just nodded, bringing her lips ever so close to his. _

_Oliver and Felicity just stared at each other, daring the other to lean in the first into the awaiting kiss. "Just don't touch me ok. I don't want to get blood on my new suit." She whispered before leaning into him but before Felicity's lips touched his, Oliver pulled away, shocked at her words. _

_But as he lifted his head, Oliver looked down at his hands, blood soaking them, dripping down his fingers and into the pool, diluting around Felicity. "What?" He didn't know what was happening or how it was happening but the mansion behind him suddenly slipped away, the deep, dense forest taking its place. But the pool and Felicity remained, her position hadn't changed. _

"_What do you expect when you kill someone Oliver? There will always be blood on your hands..." Oliver looked back at Felicity, somehow finding himself standing once more, the blood had dropped down his hands to his arms and elbows, the two bodies at his feet of the men he had killed staring up at him. "No... Felicity, no I..." but as he lunged for her, she was gone, Oliver scrambling to his feet, his head whipping around to try and gauge where he was. _

_But almost instantly, the two bodies at his feet grew, one more adding, the blonde hair stained red. A shuddering sob wracked through Oliver's body as he realised that Felicity was now laying on the two men he had already killed. Racing to her, Oliver felt his knees hit the ground but Felicity- _

Oliver shot up from his position on the floor, his entire body convulsing from fear, sweat streaking down his chest and back, his hands tightening into fists. "Oliver…Oliver, it's ok…" Anatoly's voice filtered its way into Oliver's head but it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough to get the image of Felicity out of his mind, seeing her laying there, the red and purple marks around her neck, the light missing from her eyes. Sitting up instantly, he pushed Anatoly out of the way before he scrambled to his feet, rushing from their hiding place into the bushes nearby, emptying whatever was in his stomach.

He was shaking, his entire body shaking at the memory of her dead body, of the dead bodies of the two men he had killed and shaking from the fear of what might come next. Slowly he slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out the photo of him, Tommy and Felicity. His eyes only glued to her bright eyes, wishing he could see them once more but realising that he wasn't the same person he was that she knew, he wasn't the same person who had become her best friend. Bringing the photo to his chest, Oliver closed his eyes, all he could see was her body once more, his stomach somersaulting again, retching against itself.

Yao Fei and Anatoly reached for Oliver, almost dragging him back inside their cover, an old plan that had seemed to have crashed many years ago. It covered their presence and provided shade and cover from the elements. It was also a little warmer inside and made for somewhat comfortable sleep arrangements, still sleeping on the floor but at least they weren't sleeping on dirt or rocks.

Laying Oliver back on to his blanket, they both watched concerned as he just rolled his head to the side, his eyes closing instantly, the photo gripped tightly in his hand, mumbling to himself, what both other men knew sounded like _I'm sorry Felicity,_ as darkness took over him.

_Oliver opened his eyes slowly, staring up at the inside of the plane. He sighed, remembering how he had gotten there, the blood on his hands and the hole in his soul. He was missing a part of himself and if he ever got off this island, there would be no way he would be able to be his whole self again. He knew he wanted to get home, to his mother, to his sister, his Tommy, his Felicity and his -_

"_Hello Oliver"._

_-His father. _

_Standing up suddenly Oliver came face to face with his father. What he was doing there? "What? What are you doing here?" Oliver took in his father, there was something about him, something different. It was clear he was dreaming; Oliver wasn't stupid. He knew this was a dream but there was just something about his father, an air about him. _

"_I'm asking you; I'm begging you to _survive _Oliver. You've done things to survive here. But you have to keep going. You have to be better than I ever was. If you don't think can, if you don't think you can make it home and be a better man, then there is a million ways for you to die. Here. Alone." _

_Robert looked around and that's when Oliver noticed what he was wearing, it was the same suit he would wear when he was going to his most important meetings, the same suit that he always said cost him so much that he would be buried in it. "Dad? I'm so tired and I'm starving and I'm probably going to die anyway. What do I have to survive for?" _

_Robert smiled at Oliver, reached for the photo that Oliver still held tightly in his hand. "Survive this Oliver and you get back to them, to your family, to your friends, to the one you love. You are strong son. You have fought already for so long that you just have to keep fighting."_

_But Oliver huffed, "I'm not as strong as you think I am dad. I've killed people, I've got their blood on my hands. How could I ever come home to my family, touch them, hold them knowing what I've done. Where would I go? What would I do?" It had been a long while since Oliver had the chance to have a good heart to heart with his father but he suddenly had the chance, only in his dreams. _

"_You lived Oliver, you survived that boat crash, you've been given a gift and if you think that taking your own life will make up for the things you've had to do since you got here, then you are throwing that gift away. You are throwing away a gift that most would kill for, that I would have killed for-"_

_Groaning, Oliver pushed away from his father, "I'm not you dad alright! We both know that I am not the son you wanted, you were always disappointed in me and it's clear that that is not going to change. I can never be you."_

_A hand touched Oliver's shoulder, his eyes slipping closed at the faint touch, the desperation for it to be real, "You are better than me son. The things I've allowed to happen in our city, in our home…You need to survive Oliver. You need to right my wrongs. You are the only one who can!" _

"_Dad, I don't know what that means…please…" Oliver's voice was soft, broken, unsure. Almost like he was a young child again, scared of upsetting his father. Slowly, Oliver turned around, Robert's hands were back by his sides, the picture back in Oliver's grasp, a grasp he would never let go of. "How do I do this dad? I can't even get off this island…" Oliver wanted to cry, he wanted to scream and shout and get angry but there was nothing left, there were no emotions left for him to feel. _

_Smiling Robert stood closer to Oliver, "I love you son. I have always loved you and I have always believed in you. Survive, live and right my wrongs…" _

Gasping, Oliver sat up suddenly, the sunlight had started to shine through the missing parts of the plane. He was alone but he could hear Yao Fei and Anatoly outside. Slowing his breathing down, Oliver pocketed the photo once more before heading out to see the two men. Closing his eyes, Oliver sucked in a deep breath, his father words washing over him once more, _"I love you son. I have always loved you and I have always believed in you"._

Yao Fei and Anatoly looked towards Oliver, sensing something had changed with the younger man. Oliver smiled slightly at them both, he knew what he had to do. "We are getting off this island…tonight."

**Any chance of a review? let me know what you guys think or if you're still interested! love keeps me going!**


	10. Fight for Your Life

**First let me apologise for the long wait! I am SO sorry. I have been trying to write through this but am struggling. Again, I know what I want to write but I don't know how to get it out. Especially the Oliver parts of this story BUT this I feel is an ok start for me. **

**I also said in the first chapter some parts of this story would be me projecting from my life. It starts in this chapter so it a little off the shows storyline but I kinda need it to go with what I have planned later on. **

**Considering the shit the world is going through at the moment, I hope some of you find some in enjoyment from this. **

**Please review! :D **

**Chapter 10 – Fight of Your Life**

Tommy knocked gently on the door in front of him, not sure what'd he'd find it and when it opened. He had gone to QC for his weekly Wednesday lunch with Felicity, only to be told that she wasn't in. Which a) was strange because Felicity never took a day off and b) she hadn't messaged him at all to say she wasn't going to be there.

He waited a moment, hearing some sort of shuffling and then the door opening slowly, Felicity's head poking out the side. Upon seeing him, Felicity almost let out a deep sigh, like she was expecting someone else to be standing by the door. "Hey Tommy..." she spoke softly, clearing her throat. She opened the door wider, keeping her head down a little.

But Tommy saw it, he saw the deep blue and purple bruise over her right eye. "What the hell happened?" He took a step forward, placing both his hands against her cheeks, lifting her head up so he could take a better look at her eye. He barely noticed how her eyes slipped closed at his touch, leaning into his touch. "Felicity what happened?" He was more forceful this time, causing her eyes to snap open.

Suddenly Felicity puller away, letting out a small laugh, "Oh it's nothing. I ah...I was carrying too much stuff and tripped on the side table and fell into the coffee table." She waved her hand in the sky, almost as though she was brushing off his question. "I've got a bit of a headache so I stayed home today...did you want something to drink? We can order pizza if you want? I know we usually have lunch now..."

Felicity was already in the kitchen as she was speaking, her words rushed and rambling, changing the subject quickly. Tommy loves further into the apartment, taking a look around. "Ah yeah pizza sounds good." He called out, watching her move around the kitchen. From behind, Tommy watched her, taking in a few of her slower movements.

As he looked around the apartment, his eyes fell on the mantle, where she would usually house her most beloved photos. But the one that caught his eye was the one that was missing. Not long after Oliver had died, Felicity had the Polaroid of the three of them copied and blown up and it stood, in its frame, in the middle of mantel but now it was gone.

Taking the few short steps to said mantel, Tommy was able to reach out for the empty space when his feet crunched on broken glass. Moving his foot back, Tommy's brow furrowed, Felicity was usually fairly clean and broken glass just sitting on the floor was very unlike her. Turning back towards the kitchen, Tommy called out, "Hey Felicity, how did you say you hurt yourself?"

Her voice was suddenly closer than before, handing him a beer, "I was coming around the side of the couch and tripped on the side table..." she handed him the beer before moving to sit on the couch. It didn't escape Tommy that the only side table she had in the living room was the one furthest from the mantle. It did not explain the broken glass at all.

Looking down at her phone, Felicity suddenly looked nervous, "I have an appointment at 3 so we should eat..." pizza was going to be only 20 minutes away so Tommy just moved to her side, leaving the nagging feeling behind.

"How's things going with you and Cooper?"

Cooper Seldon was a guy who Felicity had met during her last year at MIT, he had been in her computer science class and they had apparently hit it off. Felicity had been overly happy, to Tommy she was moving on from her love of Oliver, allowing happiness back into her life but he had never met him.

Quietly Felicity look up at Tommy, her smile widening just a little at Cooper's name. "He is good. We are good..." was all she gave. Tommy nodded, his eyes flickering over her face, landing on her right ear for a moment, noticing the missing industrial bar that she would never have taken out herself. It was the one piece of jewellery, the birthday gift from Oliver that Moira had given her at Oliver's funeral, that Felicity would never have taken off. Not wanting to push her, Tommy let it go, banking the information for later before they both fell into easy conversation.

* * *

It was only a few hours later that Felicity had rushed Tommy from the house, again the statement of an appointment falling from her lips and with a final hug - to which Tommy didn't miss the slight intake of her breath and stiffness in her posture when their bodies connected - and a good bye, Tommy made his way down the stairs of her apartment and out onto the street.

He could not let go of the nagging feeling in his stomach at the few hours he had spent with Felicity. Something was wrong, he just didn't what to admit to himself what it could be. Sitting back in his car, parked just outside her apartment, Tommy could see into her living room window. From there he noticed a man walking up, flowers in hand. He knew, just _knew _that that had to be Cooper. Moments later Cooper's silhouette appeared in the window of Felicity's apartments.

He watched closely as Cooper handed the flowers to Felicity, who hadn't moved, her hands staying by her side of a moment longer before hesitantly reaching for them. Cooper then pulled Felicity into a tight hug, one that she didn't return, staying in her place.

Tommy now knew what was going on. He just still hoped that he was wrong. Turner the key in the ignition, Tommy made his way to Laurel's apartment, he needed someone to talk to and knew she would be able to help him.

He finally made it to Laurel's front door, thankfully she had been working from home, which meant that she would be home. "Hey!" He called out as he entered the apartment, finding Laurel exactly where he thought he would, seated at her kitchen table, papers surrounding her. Looking at her, he smiled, her hair was up in a loose bun on the top of her head, her right leg seated on the chair so that it rested against her chest.

Laurel smiled back at him, pulling her glasses off her face. "Hey, what's going on? I wasn't expecting to see you here during the day." She leaned up slightly to place a kiss against his lips, reaching for his hand as he sat next to her. Tommy sighed, not really knowing where to start. "Tommy…what's wrong?" His silence had her full attention, she was scared, wondering what was going on.

"I ah…I went to have lunch with Felicity today and she wasn't at QC, they said she was sick or something but she hadn't messaged me to cancel, so I went by her place to check on her." Laurel knew that after Oliver went missing, Tommy and Felicity had started having weekly lunches, she was happy that Tommy had someone to turn to but she was also happy that Felicity had someone to turn to as well. Laurel didn't hate Felicity; she had no reason to hate her.

She may have hated Oliver for sleeping with her sister but she knew that there were people who cared about Oliver and were hurting after losing him. She had never had any ill will towards those people. It was true though, even Laurel had noticed that Oliver had changed a little when he was around Felicity, he was different around her.

"Once I got to Felicity's, she was there but when she opened the door…she had a bruise on her eye. It was bad, nasty and black. She ah…she told me that she tripped on something and hit the coffee table but when she was getting coffee, I noticed that the photo of me, her and Ollie that is always on the mantle was gone and the glass was broken. She wouldn't explain that to me and didn't even mention the photo."

Laurel scrunched her nose, she wasn't sure what to make of what Tommy was telling her, "What do you think happened?"

Tommy just shook his head, "Her industrial bar was missing, the one Ollie had bought her for her birthday but hadn't given her. The same one she had been wearing since the day Moira had given it to Felicity at Ollie funeral. It's the last thing she has of Oliver, she would never have taken it out…"

Tommy ran his hands over his face, scrubbing his eyes before sighing deeply, "I don't know Laurel. She was so dismissive about it all. I'm worried about her and I really don't know about her boyfriend. I saw him arrive not long after I left. He was bringing her flowers and when he hugged her, she seemed, I don't know…hard maybe. She didn't hug him back. She seemed to tense maybe." He shrugged; he really didn't know what to think.

Laurel's hand clamped around his forearm; she knew what he was thinking. "You think it's her boyfriend who did it?" Tommy nodded; Felicity was never the sort of person would let people just walk all over her. She may not bite at anyone who comes at her but she has never shrunk away from holding herself higher than most.

"Yeah, I do. And that really scares me Laurel. I don't know how to help her if she won't let me help her. How long has this been going on? How the hell could I have not known about it?" Laurel moved closer to Tommy, bringing her hands to his face. She hated seeing her boyfriend so conflicted and so frustrated when he couldn't help those around him.

She sighed, dropping her forehead to his, "When someone is in the situation that she is in, they get good at hiding. They make excuses and just write things off. It's not your fault you haven't noticed anything Tommy, Felicity has more than likely been hiding everything very well since all this started." Tommy nodded against her, listening to her words but he could not help the dreaded feeling in his stomach that he had missed something so major in the life of someone he cares so deeply about.

"She just has to know that you are there for her if she needs anything. Show her that you have her back. You can't force her thought Tommy, she will shut down if you try to force to open up." Tommy nodded against Laurel's forehead, letting his eyes slip closed.

"God if Oliver were here and he had idea that Felicity could be hurt, he would be losing his mind right now…" Tommy never felt the tightening of Laurel's hand against him, the sudden stiffening at the idea that Oliver cared about Felicity, even though Laurel knew that he did.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find Felicity's office by the end of the next week. Laurel had the idea that she would give Tommy some time to work out his feeling and his thoughts and then she would go and see Felicity for herself. There was a part of her that didn't want to believe that Felicity was being abused by her boyfriend, she honestly hoped that Tommy was wrong.

But after Tommy had had lunch with Felicity again on the Wednesday, he had mentioned that her wrist was wrapped up in a bandage that she didn't have the week before. Laurel wanted to confront Felicity, wanted to see what story she would get from the young girl.

"Hey Felicity…" It took a moment for Felicity to recognise the voice of the person in her office cubicle, she and Laurel weren't exactly close, they had spent time together when spending time with together with Tommy but they weren't exactly what you would call friends.

Felicity blinked for a moment, a brief look of fear crossed her eyes before she moved, slipping her bandaged right hand under the desk, something that Laurel did not miss. "Oh, hey Laurel, what brings you by?" Felicity seemed almost nervous at Laurel being there.

"Nothing really, I had some business I had to work through with someone from finance here and Tommy mentioned that you worked here so I thought I would just drop by and say hello. Thought it would be rude if I didn't."

Felicity just nodded, smiling a little more, relaxing just a little. Instinctively, Felicity brought her right hand up to her glasses, readjusting them, Laurel's eyes flickered to the movement, a look of concern taking over, "Felicity…what happened?" Laurel took a seat opposite Felicity's desk, trying to get her to open up.

Felicity let out a short laugh, pulling down the sleeve of her shirt a little more to try and cover the bandage, "Oh, yeah this. Ah nothing I just hurt it while I was out. I slipped on some of the black ice in the street and landed on it. It's not too bad." Before slipping her hand back under the desk and out of sight.

A soft – albeit, completely fake smile, found its way on to Laurel's lips, that was not the story that Felicity had told Tommy, the same story that Tommy had then told to Laurel. Laurel's heart sank, Felicity was making up stories to cover her injuries, which meant that Tommy was not wrong.

A sadness came over Laurel, she knew enough about Felicity to know that she was good person, a kind and loving person who just wanted to see the best in everyone, she did not deserve to be hurt this way. No one did.

* * *

The early morning had rushed by for Oliver, the darkness giving him all the over he needed. He, Anatoly and Yao Fe had quietly rushed into the camp, rousing the sleeping occupants, ushering them towards the outskirts of the camp and towards where the plane was waiting for them. It was quiet out; the only sounds being heard was the soft rustling of the tents moving. Thankfully for them, not enough to wake the guards.

It had been a whole two weeks before they had been able to come up with a decent plan to get off the island, including every one of the prisoners. Oliver was not going to leave anyone behind, he wasn't going to save himself knowing how many people there going to be there still, waiting to die.

So, in the dead of the night, Oliver and Anatoly, both armed with weapons they had taken from the guard Oliver had killed weeks earlier, and Yao Fe - who had armed himself with a bow and arrow set he had hidden away in the old skeleton of the plane they had called home - made their way into the camps as quietly as they could.

During their time away, Anatoly had trained Oliver to use a gun properly, not to line up the sites, how to angel the barrel depending on what he wanted to look at, how to squeeze the trigger the right way to ensure the recoil didn't throw the gun completely off line. Oliver was a quick study though, it didn't take him long to work it out, although it was hard to really judge when they were usually an unloaded gun to ensure that they were not bringing attention to themselves with the sounds of gun fire.

The men were almost at the last tents when the sound of gun fire echoed through the quiet night, the continuous pop, pop, pop of rapid-fire whistling through the air. And then the shouting began, Oliver and Anatoly shouting at the prisoners to run, motioning towards where Yao Fe was waiting to point the way through the bush land.

"Everyone move! Now!" Oliver called out as he rushed towards the closes guard, reaching for him before he had the chance to pull the trigger. Oliver shoulder tackled him to the ground, the heavy connection of his shoulder with the guard's stomach sent them both flying to the ground, the rifle cluttering to the wet ground. It took a moment for Oliver to realise that he was suddenly sitting on top of the guard, instantly his fits connected with the flesh below him, blood spurting from the guard's nose, lip and eye. Oliver did not let up, his own anger taking over, memories of the pain and fear he held on while he was being held captive buy these men.

Anatoly pulled Oliver off the guard, momentarily checking the man's pulse – there was none – before he pushed him towards to the bushland as well. "Come. We must leave." He spoke, both Anatoly's hands in Oliver's chest, pushing him away. "Oliver!" The loud call of his name pulled Oliver from his tunnel vision on the man on the ground.

Oliver nodded at Anatoly, reaching for the rifle that had fallen to the ground, instantly Oliver lined it up to where the shouting was coming from, the flashes of light indicating where the gun fire and the guards were. He and Anatoly took aim, not really sure they were hitting targets until the cries of pain started and the only sounds were their own gun fire.

After a few moments, the men looked at each other, listening closely to the sounds around them, making sure that there was no one still alive. The number of bodies that Oliver was adding to his list was growing and part of him felt nothing. In the back of his mind the only word that echoed was _monster. _That was what he was becoming. Only a monster could take lives like he had and not feel anything at all.

Nodding to each other, Oliver and Anatoly slowly stalked off towards the field where the plane was, Oliver dropping the empty rifle on the ground along the way. It was only weighing him down and he did not have a magazine to reload anyway.

When Anatoly and Oliver were on the other side of the field when Oliver noticed that Yao Fe was not by their side. "Where is Yao Fe?" He looked around, neither men knew. "Go, get the plane started, make sure everyone is ready to leave. I am going to find him." Oliver rushed away from Anatoly seconds later, he was not leaving Yao Fe behind.

The bushland was thick but thankfully over the long months that Oliver had been on the island, he had learned to navigate his way, mostly thanks to Yao Fe. His movements slowed as he moved past trees, not wanting to give himself up or bring attention to himself if there was anyone in forest but considering there was no sounds of gun fire, no sounds of movement or shouting, it seemed that Anatoly and Yao Fe had done their jobs and in the plan and had killed all the remaining guards.

The snapping of a branch behind Oliver caught is attention, the hair on the back of his neck standing up instantly, his entire body stiffening. He knew that it wasn't Yao Fe behind him, he knew he was in trouble and he knew that he had no chance of calling out for help. Slowly, Oliver turned to face the noise behind him, coming face to face with what seemed to be the last guard on the island. "They are all dead. How?"

Oliver stood dead still, his hands were shaking at his sides as he watched the guard opposite him raise his gun, the sound of the thundering rain around the drowned out the idea that this was it, he would not speak, Oliver would not give the information he was seeking. After all the fight he had put up while he had been on the island for over 12 months, after all the dreaming and wishing to get back to his family and Tommy…and Felicity, he was now, for the first time, staring down the barrel of a gun that he honestly didn't think he was going to survive.

He could feel his hair plastering to his face, the rain coming heavier the longer he stayed outside, he vaguely heard Felicity's voice in his head,_ "God you need to cut your hair Oliver. It looks terrible long." _He would laugh at the voice if it wasn't for the situation he was in. She had always hated how long his hair was and now, in the pouring rain, it was sticking to the sides of his face in a really annoying way.

"Who are you?" The guards voice was rough over the sounds of the rain and thick with a Russian accent but Oliver had understood him, after all these months, he had grown to understand the thick accents.

But Oliver did not speak, what was the point? He was not going to give away the one thing that was truly his, the one thing that would keep his family safe just to appease the man with the gun. But he did see the finger on the trigger twitch, the deep, heavy feeling in Oliver's stomach was just a heavy as the first time he had woken up on the island.

He was going to die.

However, a small part of him was ok with the idea of dying because he knew that he had saved so many people on the island. He had taken lives too, Oliver had lost himself on that island, taking lives of the people around him, granted they planned on hurting him or the other prisoners but Oliver never thought he would take another life and at this point, he honestly couldn't tell you what he body count was if you'd asked.

Sighing deeply, Oliver closed his eyes, images of sunlight and warmth finding their way into his mind, Felicity's laughter, her smile, her bright eyes the only thing he wanted to see when he died, when the trigger was pulled.

Moments past, Oliver wasn't sure how long but the world around him shook when the sound of the trigger was pulled, the loud pop of the gun firing on his direction, his body instinctively jumping at the sound but then there was nothing, no pain, no fear. Just nothing.

Opening his eyes, Oliver let out a deep, gut cry, at his feet lay Yao Fe, blood seeping from the bullet wound in his stomach. Dropping to his knees, Oliver rolled Yao Fe over, "No, no, no, no. Yao Fe…please…" his hands travelled over him, trying to stop the bleeding but the movement from the guard caught his attention once, Oliver found the gun still raised at his head. The next few moments happened quickly, Yao Fe had a gun stashed in his pants, something that Oliver had noticed, raised himself and before the guard could even realise what was happened, Oliver had pulled the trigger, a small trail of blood dripping down the guards nose from the direct hit between the eyes.

Oliver hadn't even aimed, his eyes were cloudy with tears when he pulled trigger, dropping the gun the moment the body hit the ground. "Come on Yao Fe…we've got to go…" With whatever strength Oliver had left, he pulled Yao Fe to his feet, dragging him through the bushland towards where he knew the plane waiting.

It was in sight, the plane was so close he could almost touch it but the weight of Yao Fe was becoming too much, the pain in Oliver's side telling him that he had a lot more damage from the fighting than he had previously through.

Both men stumbled, Yao Fe hitting the ground with a thud, Oliver by his side, wheezing himself from pain. The storm was getting worse, the rain heavier and the lightning and thunder closer. The plane had to leave, and it had to leave now. Looking up towards the cockpit, Oliver's eyes locked with Anatoly, the conversation flowing between the men without words.

"Anatoly! You have to go! NOW!" Oliver's voice echoed through the bushland, the sounds of the pouring rain and the last of the gun fire ringing out. Oliver knew that Anatoly couldn't understand him, he couldn't hear him through the elements around him but his hand movements were enough to get his point across. Most of the prisoners had survived and had been loaded onto the awaiting plane.

The last look that Anatoly gave Oliver was a short sharp nod, a thank you and an I'm sorry for leaving but they both knew that Oliver was not going to make it and they had to leave before the storm rolled in too close to the island. The sounds of gunfire had long passed, overtaken by the sound of the roaring engine of the plane. Oliver watched as it gained speed off the very edge of the runway, lifting off into the air before disappearing into the dark clouds.

And then they were gone.

A deep sob slipped from Oliver's chest, he was so close to getting home but Yao Fe had taken a bullet for him and there was no way that he would have been able to live with himself if he had left Yao Fe there on his own. He his last chance of getting home, of getting back to his sister and Tommy and Felicity, it was gone.

Glancing down at Yao Fe, Oliver had found that the man was sitting up slightly, his own breath was laboured but he was awake. "We must leave this place…" Oliver nodded, lifting Yao Fe to his feet once more, the two injured men moved from the open field and back towards their previous hiding place. The last sounds of their only way home disappearing into the night sky.

* * *

It was day light by the time Oliver was able to get Yao Fe into their old hiding spot, the rain had not settled, in fact the thunder around them roared, shaking their cover. "You need to rest Yao Fe…" he placed Yao Fe onto the blankets that they had made as a bed weeks before, watching as the older man settled down, his breath evening out from exhaustion.

Instantly Oliver did the same, his whole body all but collapsing to the ground in a heap, his knees brought to his chest and his eyes slipping closed. The suddenly onslaught of thoughts surrounding the fact that his only way home was now gone and he really was stuck on this island. Clutching his hands to his heart tighter, Oliver let his tears fall, tears for himself, tears for his family and tear for Yao Fe.

Instinctively his hand found its way to his pocket, pulling out the small folded wallet that had somehow survived through everything he had been through. He knew what was inside, knew the faces that would be staring back at him when he pulled out the photo but he was too heartbroken to look at the photo, to look at the people he missed most in the world and now he was never going to see again.

**Please review!**


	11. Save Myself

**I am so sorry this took so long. I really don't have an excuse other than I have been playing Batman and watching Super Girl and studying so this has sadly fallen off BUT I will always continue this, this is going to keep going because I am building up to the chapter that this whole story was built around. **

**Please review! :D**

**Chapter 11 – Save Myself **

"Oliver, you must learn. If you don't learn we will both die..." Yao Fe had spoken with such force that even Oliver had taken a step back. What was he supposed to learn? Quickly, Oliver followed Yao Fe's eyeline, finding it suddenly focused on the large wooden box in the corner of old plane. Moving towards it, Oliver opened it, his breath leaving him for a moment.

Spinning on his heels, Oliver looked closely at Yao Fe. "You want…you want me to learn how to use this?" He picked it up quickly, feeling the weight of the bow in his hand. It was a strange feeling, holding the weapon in his hand. Something he never thought he would do but here he was.

"Yes. You must. We must survive…" He rasped out, the gun shot would he had suffered days before was healing but taking it had been taking it toll. Yao Fe was weak, tired and barely conscious for most the past few days but the bleeding had stopped.

Turning back to the box, Oliver looked down again. Inside he found the matching quiver to the bow, packets of herbs and something he assumed was tea. As well as a half-cut hood. The stark colour green sticking out against the grey of the material keeping it all safe. He ran his fingers over the hood, wondering why and where it would be worn.

Yao Fe coughed deeply, his hand flying to his chest to try and settle himself, "Oliver you must learn, we must eat and so you much learn." Was his last words before he slipped into the darkness of sleep.

Sighing, Oliver placed the bow back into the box. He was right, they needed to eat or else it wouldn't take long before they both died. Closing the box, Oliver moved back to his side of the plane, laying down on the blanket that had been placed there.

The wind has picked up, howling through the trees, the rain blanketing the ground and thunder echoing through the hollowed out plane. The storm had settled in for the night, the lightning lighting up the dark sky. Oliver had never been sacred of thunderstorms but laying on the ground of this old plane, feeling the shaking of the ground around him as he tried to sleep, he was struggling with the thoughts that this was going to be how he slept now, the wind sprinkling the rain through the gaps in the metal, coating Oliver in a light sheen, his hands instinctively covering his face and ears as he tried to block out the storm.

* * *

He spotted the arrow sitting right at the top of the tree, almost as though it was taunting him with his inaccuracy and inability to use the bow and arrow. Yao Fe had always made the rule, that if he loses the arrows - he must retrieve them. He spoke about the patience and discipline that retrieving arrows helps to build but also as they were not is a large supply they must be utilised as much as possible.

Groaning, Oliver stood at the base of the tree and looked up, his head tipped all most the way back to look up at the arrow. Dropping his head and signing, Oliver began to think through his approach.

His pants were both torn at the knees, making them more into shorts, his shoes were ok, he'd stolen some off a guard that had left them lying around and his shirt was dirty and fairly torn - also something that he'd stolen from a guard who had left it around - but it was the only thing he had to protect his upper body.

Making his decision, Oliver slipped the long sleeve shirt from his body, he needed something to at least protect him from the colder elements - and it had been getting colder. As a habit he had gotten into, Oliver let his hands slowly slide down his torso, feeling each raised scar from his time of torture, the large knife scar under his ribs, the healed bullet hole in his left shoulder. Memories flashing back to him as

Slowly he took each step by step up the branches of the tree, making sure to have a hold onto a thicker branch before he moved because if he fell, there would be no one to save him now. Looking down through the tree, Oliver found himself sudden halfway up the tree, he hadn't expected it to happen that quickly but here he was, climbing a tree with no trouble.

Smiling to himself, he moved a little faster finding a confidence he didn't know he had, but that was until he placed his foot on a branch he had not checked, he'd heard the crack before it gave way but with no time to move, his foot gave way with it, his heart instantly stopping when there was nothing holding him up but his tired arms.

Gasping loudly, Oliver held on tight to the branch he had in his hand, his legs swinging freely for a second. Taking a deep breath, Oliver put all his strength into his shoulders and back, pulling himself up onto the next branch where he knew he would be more stable. After a moment, he continued, the taunting arrow getting closer and closer to him.

Suddenly he found himself straddling the highest branch of the tree, the arrow in reaching distance but that was not what caught his attention. What caught his attention was the view. The endless ocean around him, the dark clouds and the pleasant breeze he could feel. If it weren't for the situation, he would almost call is beautiful in a way.

But what he did feel, even for a moment, was the sense of being free. It as a strange feeling considering where he was and what was going on around him but knowing that he had pulled himself up to the top of the tree, used his own muscles and achieved something fairly extraordinary for himself, it was freeing.

He stayed there for what felt like forever, letting the wind blow around him, the trees move and really the only sounds he could hear were that of the ocean below. Looking out over the ocean, Oliver noticed the heavy clouds coming their way, clouds he had become all too familiar with over the last almost 18 months, clouds that meant storms, rain and cold. Finally, Oliver found his way back down the tree, arrow in his hand and a small smile on his face.

It was a short walk back to the plane and that was where Oliver found Yao Fe sitting in front of the large bowl of water that Oliver had been 'training' with over the last few weeks. Yao Fe had explained it to Oliver, he had told him how _slapping a bowl of water _was going to help him get better at using the bow.

But the moment he had picked up the bow and was finally able to draw it back, the ease of which he did it with had surprised him. He felt a moment of pride in himself.

"What, more slapping a bowl of water?" Olive huffed as he took the seat opposite Yao Fe, instantly hearing the downpour of rain on the outside of the plane. _Good timing_ Oliver thought.

Yao Fe shook his head, dropping both hands into the bowl, cleaning off his hands from the dried animal blood. Yao Fe had slowly been spending more and more time outside of the plane, his gunshot wound had been heeling and he was getting a little stronger. That afternoon, Yao Fe had taken Oliver out to start showing him how to line up prey and their movements as well as how to aim and track the wind. In that time, he had killed three rabbits that had been too slow to get away from Yao Fe's arrows.

Oliver on the other hand had tried his hand at aiming for targets he had scratched into the tree's around him. But his aim had been way off, missing all the trees except for the one that he had hit right at the top.

"_This isn't working!" Oliver was angry and frustrated. He had been spending the last two weeks lining up and aiming at trees, breathing deeply, drawing back the bow, releasing and the arrow – and missing. Every single time he tried, he missed. Turning to Yao Fe, Oliver groaned, "Look maybe this is just something I'm not meant to do ok!" Oliver shoved the bow back to Yao Fe, who didn't even bother reaching for it. _

_Shaking his head Yao Fe moved from Oliver, "You are thinking too much." _

_But Oliver scoffed, turning away from the other man, "No one has ever accused me of that before…" He was being self-deprecating; he was angry at himself and the situation. He couldn't even shoot a tree let alone a moving target. _

"_Oliver, you must feel the variation in the wind, hear the bow string tighten and then you must let go…" He made it sound so easy, but then at the same time, Oliver thought back to how quickly Yao Fe had taught him to fight in such a short amount of time. Maybe there was something in what he was telling him now. _

Yao Fe was a man of very few words, causing Oliver to really focus on his body language and mannerisms. Something that Oliver was learning very quickly.

He could pick when something changed on Yao Fe, even the slightest change he could see it, reading him easily. Oliver hoped that one day, that newly obtained talent could come in handy to him.

* * *

His feet thumped harder on the ground as he ran, each step bringing him closer to his target, each arrow he let fly hit a tree, most hitting the target but none hitting the bullseye. But still he ran, something that Oliver had found a fondness for. Over the last four weeks of being on the island with just him and Yao Fe, Oliver had found that running and climbing had become his escapes.

It wore it his body, gave a sense of freedom and discipline he had begun to thrive for. It had also tired him out so the days would move on without slowing down.

He had run the length of the island, using the trees around him to climb and jump, finding branches that helped with his pulls up, trying to find ways of working almost every muscle he had. Each track around his targets, his aim would improve, maybe not by all but by one or two.

And so he ran, each day for the next two weeks, pushing himself faster across the waterline, through the trees, over the logs, arrows whistling through the leaves, thunking as they finally landed middle target, each more precise than the last.

He was smirking to himself, getting cocky, but who could blame him? Oliver was able to pick off a target from over 500 meters away, he was able to track the wind, his hand was steady and calm and by now each rapid-fire arrow he let fly hit its target, he never missed. His speed increasing exponentially with each day that passed.

As he lined up his last arrow, Oliver heard the sound of a helicopter engine overhead, it was not like he hadn't heard the sound of planes in the distance, never close enough to see the signal he wanted to build but a helicopter had to be close for him to hear it.

Turning on his heels, Oliver sprinted off through the trees in the direction of the helicopter, the arrow going back into the quiver but the bow held tightly in his hands. It didn't take him long to make it to the clearing, his body working harder and faster than it had ever been. It was a helicopter, someone who was there to bring them home.

Home.

To Thea, his mother, Tommy and Felicity.

He wanted to smile at the thought of Tommy and Felicity but he needed to move faster.

Skidding to a stop, Oliver found himself back at the plane camp site, the wind from the helicopter bowing his now long hair around, making it harder for him to see. But what he did see what Yao Fe, on his knees and the guards around him, their guns drawn.

Instinct took over and Oliver drew his arrow and nocked it in a flash, aiming at the guard who was closest to Yao Fe. "Move and I will put this arrow through your eye." His voice growled out deeply. But the men didn't move, barely even flinched as the sounds of the rotor slowed in the distance.

Who the hell were these people and what the hell did they want?

"I said…put the guns down!" his voice was louder this time, the movement to his left catching his attention and he turned, aiming his arrow at the figure coming towards him.

A woman's voice found his ears, "Mr. Queen. We have been watching you…"

Tipping his head slightly, he was shocked to hear his last name but the world started to tip instead, his vision blurring and his knees buckled. He had no idea how it had happened but Oliver was suddenly laying on the wet ground, his eyes trying to focus on Yao Fe being taken away before the figure appeared in his eyeline. "We could use a man of your…talents…"

But the world slipped away and darkness took him.

* * *

Tommy sighed happily when he saw Felicity's face coming towards him. He had been sitting at the table for about 10 minutes already and he had been nervous, nervous to see if Felicity was ok and to see if there were any more signs.

It had been about 6 months since he had seen her at her place with the bruised eye, Laurel had said she'd spoken to Felicity the week later and talked about her wrist but that was it, that was the only time that anything was brought up between the friends and Felicity seemed to do everything she could to just keep her life going as normal.

Anytime the two saw each other, Felicity would ignore any questions or just brush them off vaguely, Laurel was right, Felicity wouldn't talk about it until she was ready and there was no point pushing her until that time. It had finally gotten this point that Tommy would either say something to her now or he was going to straight to the police. Either way, things were going to change.

But when he saw her coming his way, a bright smile on her face, his thoughts left him for the time being, he honestly just wanted to enjoy his lunch with his closest friend. She seemed happy and bright, more like her usual self. Sure, he noticed that she was wearing less make up than she usually did and her lips weren't as bright as they normally would be but her smile was wide and her eyes shone.

"Tommy!" She called out, hugging him tightly, "How are you?" She genuinely seemed happy today.

Tommy was shocked, he had not expected this from Felicity. Sure, he hadn't seen any new bruises or anything over the last few months but he had seen her demeanour change significantly but this, this was almost the old Felicity. "I'm good Felicity, how have you been?" He was weary to watch her movements as she sat or moved or spoke but there was nothing that was standing out to him. Maybe she had broken up with Cooper and not said anything to him?

Grabbing her glass of water, Felicity took a sip, "I've been good, busy with work and stuff, Walter is keeping me super busy with new programs he wants written and operating systems, but it's been really nice to be busy. How about you? How is Laurel?"

They talked for over an hour, just enjoying the sunshine on the nice Wednesday afternoon, they conversations staying light and happy. Until Felicity spoke, "Have you, ah…have you seen Thea around? How is she?" There was an instant change in Felicity's eyes and Tommy's mood when Thea was brought up. Something that hung over the two of them.

Sighing, Tommy moved closer to the table, suddenly finding his glass very fascinating. "She is alright, I think. I try to see her a couple of times a week but she had been avoiding me recently. I know she has it really tough, losing Ollie and then her dad. Moira has thrown herself into her charities but Thea is just…alone." Felicity looked away, she hated knowing that Thea was struggling, but there was not much she could do about it.

"Maybe you should go and see her or give her a call. She could use you right about now…" Now that was a statement he really shouldn't have said.

Felicity huffed and sat back in her seat. "Tommy you know that I can't. I would love to be able to go and see her and just be there for her but I can't do that. We've talked about this before." The conversation had really shifted.

"I know we have talked about this Felicity but she is falling further down the rabbit hole and I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to pull her out. She need's you Felicity."

Tommy was really pushing it now. He was frustrated and angry with Thea and Felicity and the whole situation. "I told you that I can't Tommy, ok? Can you please just drop it?" Silence spread across the two of them for what felt like the longest time until Tommy relented, he knew better than to push. But that didn't mean wasn't annoyed.

Taking the moment, Tommy called for the bill, knowing that Felicity was meant to get back to work soon, he didn't want her to get into trouble for being late. He also knew that QC was only a 10 minute walk from where they had decided to have lunch so they needed to get back there.

While they walked, Felicity tried to calm the storm by asking Tommy more questions about his plans for the weekend with Laurel, although his answers were stiff, he allowed the questions. "What's on for you this weekend?" Was his eventual question back to Felicity, watching as her smile grew a little more.

"Cooper is taking me to a thing in Central City, some work dinner or something. He even bought me a new dress."

Tommy snapped, she was talking about happily joining Cooper – a man who had been abusing her – to a work dinner in another city and he had bought her a new gift. How could she keep this up? It had been almost 12 month that she and Cooper had been together but he had no idea how long the abuse had been going on for.

Tommy and Laurel had talked about approaching Felicity, sitting down with her and asking her what was going on with her and Cooper but for some reason they had wanted to wait a little more, having seen Felicity with more of a smile on her face than ever before, so Laurel and Tommy tabled their conversation for another day. Plus, as a lawyer, Laurel wanted more evidence that just a couple of injuries and stories that didn't match before they potentially ruined a friendship.

But Tommy had snapped, walking next to her as she talked about what she and Cooped had been up to, how happy she was with him, and so when they'd gotten back to the foyer of QC, he had asked her, more like fronted up to her, about the abuse she had been receiving, the abuse she had covering up.

"Felicity…I need ask you something…" Tommy placed his hands on Felicity's shoulders, forcing her to look at him expectantly. "You and Cooper…and I want you to tell me the truth, you know you can tell me the truth…what is happening? What is he doing to you?''

Felicity dropped her eyes from him, taking a step away. "Nothing is going on Tommy ok. He isn't doing anything to me." She rolled her eyes and laughed a little trying to ignore his comments. She didn't want to be have any part of this conversation, not now or ever.

Tommy huffed, his fists tightening at her lie, "I call bullshit Felicity. The story you gave me about your black eye, the two different stories that you told me _and_ Laurel about your sprained wrist. He is _hurting _you Felicity. Can't you see that?" He tried to reach out for her but she just shook her head, huffing out a laugh.

"This dinner and buying you a new dress is just his way of controlling you. He is showing you off to the world, he is keeping you in line." He was angry now. He was scared for Felicity, scared of what Cooper was doing that he couldn't see.

Felicity's face hardened but he eyes held more pain than she was willing to give away, "He isn't doing anything to me Tommy ok. You're being ridiculous." She turned from him now, making her way towards the elevators to take her back to her cubicle. It infuriated Tommy even more.

He snapped, his voice carrying through the large foyer of QC, gaining people's attention. "Would you be lying to Ollie if he be were here? What would he say to you? What would he be doing! What would he want from you right now?" Tommy was getting frustrated; Felicity was pushing him away any chance she got. Would Laurel have rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that Tommy was pushing her, knowing that he had brought this up now? Here?

Of course, she would. She would have slapped him upside the back of his head, just to prove her point that he was an idiot but she would also have approached Felicity calmly and softly.

Felicity spun on her heels, anger instantly taking over. How dare he use Oliver to try and get a reaction out of her, use Oliver against her, "But he's not here is he Tommy! Oliver is dead, ok! He is gone and he isn't coming back Tommy! Oliver is never coming back! So, he can't want anything. The dead don't want anything, it's one of the benefits of being dead." Her voice had raised enough to gather a crowd around them in the lobby of Queen Consolidated.

Tommy stopped dead, whatever words he wanted to say stayed on his tongue. Felicity had never spoken about Oliver that way, never spoken about Oliver dying that way either. She had always been so caring when she talked about losing Oliver, always so heartbroken, nothing like this. "Felicity...I..." but she had already moved away from the elevator doors and past Tommy before heading out the foyer doors, the low murmurs of those around him as they went back to their own jobs or conversations, having overheard their outbursts.

All Tommy could do was watch her leave, so many words sitting on the tip of his tongue. There was a sudden heavy weight on Tommy's shoulder and it shocked him for a second, the voice though settling him down, "Thomas...is everything ok?" The thick British accent finding his ears. He hadn't even seen Walter in the foyer, standing there, watching them.

Tommy sighed and turned toward Walter, "How has she been? How has her work been?" He didn't want to ask too much of Walter, didn't want to give too much away of what Felicity was clearly going through but he knew that Walter cared about her deeply.

"Her work has been fine. She is a little quieter in meetings but her work is fine. What is going on?" But Tommy sighed, shaking his head. He looked out towards the doors that Felicity had just left from. He had really put his foot in it this time.

* * *

Felicity had somehow found her way home in the middle of the day, she had never returned to work, never called or emailed, her whole body just shutting down to everything that Tommy had said. _"He's hurting you Felicity." _She didn't want to dwell on that fact, she knew that he was hurting her some days, but other days he was everything she had wanted.

She loved him, she did. It was just that some days he would get angry or frustrated.

Climbing the stairs to her apartment, Felicity pushed open the door and stopped dead in her tracks, frozen for a moment. Cooper sat on the couch, his feet on her coffee table, beer in his hand. It was 2pm on a Wednesday, she had no idea that he would be here, in her apartment. "Hey…I didn't know you were going to be here…" She spoke softly, not wanting to startle him.

Cooper looked up from the TV, sculling the rest of the beer before placing it down on the table at his feet. "Hey, yeah I wanted to just hang out. What are you doing home so early?" He didn't even move to greet her, just watched her. Felicity was very unsure about how this was going to go and so she decided she would tread lightly, she wouldn't mention her fight with Tommy, in fact she wouldn't mention Tommy at all.

"I wasn't feeling 100% so I came home…" Cooper seemed to accept this, just nodding at her and watched as she came to sit on the couch by his side. He instantly put his arm around her shoulder and brought her into his side. Taking the chance that he might be open to talking, Felicity spoke, "I ah…I got into an argument with one of my co-workers. He just really upset me that's all." It wasn't the truth but it also wasn't a lie. Tommy had really upset her.

Cooper just sighed, "Well I'm sure you did something to upset him." It was an offhanded comment and it was all he said before reaching for the full beer that was on the floor, his eyes focused completely on the TV now.

_Stepping outside of her bedroom, Felicity smiled to herself. Today was going to be a good day. She and Cooper had had a good night, dinner was lovely, the rest of the night even better. She was happy. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. _

_When she had woken up that morning, Cooper wasn't next to her, not like he had been the last month of their relationship but after 5 months of being together, she just let him do what he wanted. They were comfortable with each other, they were happy. _

_Stretching, Felicity made her way into the living room, stopping instantly when she watched Cooper closing her laptop suddenly and then turning her tablet over so it was face down. "Morning…" he mumbled, getting up quickly. They may have been comfortable with each other but Felicity had never let him use her laptop or tablet once. _

_Scrunching her brow together, Felicity returned the good morning before walking past him, not sure of how to take what had just happened. She moved closer to the kitchen, needing the coffee that she knew was waiting for her. "Whose Tommy?" Cooper's voice entered the kitchen, it was flat and lacking any emotions. _

_Felicity turned to face him, "Tommy? Oh, he is a friend, I've known him for years." Cooper just nodded, turning away from her, leaving her even more confused. How did he know Tommy's name? She had never mentioned him by name, just that she had a friend she was incredibly close with._

* * *

The phone. The bloody phone just had to be ringing in the middle of the night. Did these people not know that he was sleeping?

Groaning, Tommy rolled onto his side, placing a gentle kiss on Laurel's neck before he reached for the phone. Without even opening his eyes, Tommy answered, "Yeah…"

Sitting up suddenly, Tommy's heart rate sped up listening to the woman on the other end of the call.

Throwing the blanket off, he dressed quickly, throwing a quick explanation to Laurel before he rushed from the house.

**Any love?**


	12. No Air

**Thank you for all the love from the last chapter, this is moving forward nicely, which yay! How is everyone holding up in their homes? I am emergency services so I'm still working but sucks when I have no life. Sadly this is a little shorter than the other chapters, mainly because I didn't want to ruin it by adding just for the sake of word count. **

**However, I am loving listening to Stephen's videos in the mornings on my drive into work. I'm just gonna say that its clear he works his ass off when he is filming so spending the down time with his wife and daughter, drinking – he is enjoying himself while he can. He is funny drunk, makes me laugh, gotta say. **

**Anyway – please review? :D Anyone have any thoughts or ideas? Ive got a plan but I would love to hear what you guys think! **

**Chapter 12 – No Air **

Tommy rushed into emergency room, his heart beating almost painfully against his chest. He had no idea what he was doing there, just that the caller has said that she was there and he was her emergency contact. It was after midnight and his mind was running all over the place, how bad was it? Was she awake? "Hi, my name is Tommy Merlyn, I got a call about Felicity Smoak..." an older lady looked up at him at his voice, smiling before tapping away on her keyboard.

But as he waited for the nurse, from the corner of his eye Tommy spotted Detective Lance coming out of a hospital room, closing the door behind him. Tommy watched him for a moment and he just _knew_ that he had been in to see Felicity. "Detective?" Tommy's movements were slow, calculated, almost as though he knew that if Lance spoke, it would confirm his worst fears.

Lance looked up at the younger Merlyn, a little shocked to see him standing there in the middle of the night when he was supposedly with his daughter. There was a small amount of hatred in his eyes at the Tommy. To Lance, Tommy was just another spoiler rich boy who was going to break his daughters' heart. After everything she had been through with Oliver, and her sister because of Oliver, he didn't want more of that for her. But seeing him standing there, looking completely terrified, he knew that there was a part of Tommy was not the same idiot kid he'd known years ago. Maybe he had grown up over the last 2 years after losing his best friend.

Sighing, Lance inclined his head away from the door, not wanting Felicity to over hear what they talked about, not that it was a secret but she had been through enough and he didn't want her to have to relive it by listening to them talk. "Call came in an hour ago. Ms. Smoak was found by a neighbour, she was brought in by paramedics and has a black eye and jaw and a whole lot of bruising to the rest of her body, thankfully nothing is broken." He sighed again, judging Tommy's reaction.

But even with the slight good news Tommy's jaw tightened, his eyes darkening before they slipped over to the closed door of her hospital room, almost as though he was trying to see through the door. He kept his voice low and still, "Did she say who did it?" His hands were clenching at his sides. Tommy was seething, someone had hurt Felicity and he wasn't able to do anything about it. He had promised Oliver all those years ago before he went on his trip that he would look after her and he was failing.

Lance followed his line of sight, there was a realisation in the question being asked, Tommy knew more than he was letting on. "What do you know kid?" But Tommy didn't reply, just kept his eyes on the door. "She said she didn't know who it was. Said someone had broken in to her apartment. We are investigating." Placing his hand on Tommy's shoulder, Lance tried again, "What do you know?"

Slowly Tommy looked towards Lance, blinking a few times. Shaking his head, Tommy hoped that Felicity wasn't trying to protect her boyfriend, he sighed, "Laurel and I...we think her boyfriend is hurting her but she won't admit it to us." He swallowed thickly; he should have told someone earlier, he should have talked to Lance or pushed her more with Cooper. What if he could have prevented this? What if he had hurt her worse and it was his fault for not doing anything to stop it?

Lance dropped his hand from Tommy's shoulder. His mind had instantly gone to this possibility when he'd gotten the call of a young girl being assaulted late at night but Felicity had laughed off any questions about anything other than someone breaking in.

That did not mean that Lance was going to ignore the boyfriend all together but he had to be careful in his approach. He knew he would have a rough go at it if he went after the boyfriend without the willingness of Felicity, victims of abuse were known to support their abuser until they were ready to admit it themselves. "Don't worry kid. I'll follow it up." With one last nod, Lance made his way from the hospital.

Tommy hesitate for a minute, he honestly didn't know if he should go in or not but then again, he had been called for a reason which meant that he should go in. Knocking gently on the door, he waited for a moment before heading inside. There he found Felicity, already sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on her shoes. "Hey Tommy…you didn't have to come. I told them not to bother you…" She tried to smile but only winced as she did. Her sore jaw causing her discomfort.

Tommy moved towards her, taking her all in. "Felicity, I'm glad they called. I would have been very upset if I'd found out and someone didn't call me…what happened? What _really_ happened?" He took the seat on the bed next to Felicity as she finished putting her shoes on, pulling her jumper over her head. He was trying to get Felicity to open up to him but he knew it was never going to happen.

"Oh Tommy, like I told Detective Lance, someone was trying to break in and I must have opened the door and scared them. I don't remember much else after that." She pushed herself off the bed, stopping momentarily when it seemed her body hurt. But she moved seconds after, reaching for the heavy coat that was sitting by the door.

Tommy was beyond frustrated but she was talking to him, unlike the last time he had seen her and he wouldn't push her, but he did want to see what he could get out of her, wondering if she would slip up at all, "Where is Cooper…I expected him to be here with you…" he was trying, hoping that she would slip up.

She didn't slip up though, sure she froze for a moment but a small smile came to her lips, "He is here…he's just gone out to get me a coffee, we didn't know how long we would be here." Mutely Tommy nodded, watching as Felicity pulled on the rest of her jacket, securing it tightly. "He should be back soon. I guess I'll introduce you two." Tommy just nodded again, his fists clenching tightly at the thought that he was going to meet Cooper, after he and Felicity had been together for almost 12 months, he would finally meet the man who was hurting her.

Just as she spoke the hospital door opened and a tall, dark haired man walked in. Instantly Tommy sized him up, he was about Tommy's height, a little skinnier but seemed well built. But he had a hard look in his eyes when he noticed Tommy watching him. It was almost like to coffee in his hands was forgotten that the man had come to Felicity's side, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Holding her close.

Clearing her throat, Felicity placed her hand against the man's gently, "Tommy this is Cooper…Cooper this is my best friend Tommy Merlyn…" Her words were out in short bursts, almost as though she was testing how the boys were going to react.

All each gave was a short nod to the other, each not sure of the other man in the room. "So, this is the corporate lap dog that takes up your time…" is was a snide comment that Tommy didn't miss but he could see the way that Felicity closed herself off when he spoke, Tommy wouldn't stoop to Cooper's level, not while Felicity was there.

"Hey I'm going to sign myself out." She placed her hand on Cooper's chest before slipping from his arms with one last pleading glance back at Tommy, Felicity closed the door behind her.

Tommy and Cooper stared each other down, both waiting until the door was closed. Once it was, Cooper spoke first, "So you are Tommy Merlyn…figured it was time we finally meet…" He reached out his hand to shake Tommy's, who looked between it and Cooper before slowly reaching out his own hand to Cooper. There was a slight moment of thought from Tommy – does he shake his hand or does he take a swing at Cooper instead.

But it did not go the way that Cooper though, Tommy wrenched on Cooper's hand, pulling Cooper towards him with a force that Cooper was not expecting. They were inches from each other, Tommy's eyes holding Cooper, not letting him look away.

Cooper tried to pull his hand from Tommy's resulting in Tommy only holding it tighter, his fingers squeezing tightly.

Tommy's voice was deep when he spoke, almost a growl, "Remember I will always be her _best friend._ You hurt her; I will make sure you hurt worse than her. Do you understand?" Tommy squeezed Cooper's hand tightly, making his point that he was not scared of Cooper. They stared each other down for what felt like the longest time, it wasn't until the hospital door open once more did their hands fall away from each other.

"They've said I can go…" Felicity looked between Tommy and Cooper who had still yet to look way from each other. It wasn't until Tommy had stared Cooper down enough for him to turn back to Felicity before they both moved silently from the room. Cooper taking Felicity's hand tightly as they left.

Tommy watched as they moved from the room – Felicity looking back at him as they went. Her eyes shone with pleading with him to just leave it alone.

* * *

Oliver's head snapped up suddenly, his body weighing heavily against whatever he was sitting on but it was then that he realised that he was sitting on a chair. Out of instinct he pulled against his binds, his body jerking to try and release itself, his head wiping around to try and see where he was but all that he could see was the single light bulb above his head.

"The convenient thing about dead men – is that no one tends to come looking for them" that voice, the same one he had heard on the island before he passed out found his ears again. It was a woman, American but he didn't know her.

Looking around Oliver tried to get a grasp as to where he was, there was no clues, the room was bare. "Who are you? Where is Yao Fe?" He wanted to know where his friend was, the man who had trained him to keep himself alive, the man who he owed his life to.

The woman moved toward Oliver, her body was tall, she held herself well. "Mr Gulong is none of your concern. My name is Amanda Waller and I am the director of a Government organisation – Advanced Research Group United Support-"

"ARGUS." Oliver coughed, not believing that it was even a real organisation.

Amanda just nodded, she was surprised that Oliver knew about it but chose not to ask, she was going to keep her poker face for a little longer but it was clear that Waller's face had slipped enough to show a small amount of emotion. Oliver had grown to read small changes in emotions quickly over the last 18 months on the island.

"Anatoly told me all about ARGUS. Talked about it like it was a fairy tale." Waller just nodded, keeping her face steady. At least the Russians believed ARGUS to be a fairy tale.

"Well Mr. Queen, then we can skip the formalities." She nodded to the man behind Oliver, he felt the man move for he was touched but Oliver wasn't expecting the slicing of a blade against his shoulder, the sharp, piercing pain he felt as it continued over and over, his left shoulder blade tightening in pain, the muscles jerking under the movements.

Oliver's screams echoed through the room, Waller nodding to the guard once more, giving Oliver a reprieve from the pain. He just could not catch a break, his honestly didn't know how his body continued on with that sort of pain it had been put through.

"_You are stronger than you think. I see that in you…" _

Felicity's voice echoed in his ears, something she had told him years ago, a day when they had laid on his bed and they talked about what scared them the most. Felicity saw a strength in him so maybe there was something in him, something they could keep him alive.

Holding himself tightly, Oliver just bit down on his own lip, trying to keep from crying out, not wanting to give Waller the satisfaction of the pain she was causing. Over and over again the knife cut into his skin, tracking over the cuts that were already there. One, two, three, four…he'd lost count, all he knew was that the man was moving around his body, the knife cutting into the skin over the side of his shoulder. One, two, three slices into this skin.

His body was shaking against the pain, his eyes closing tightly to try and keep himself from screaming. The presence in front of him called him from his control, his eyes flashing open to link directly with the man and his knife. It was almost like the man was enjoying the pain he was inflicting, although Oliver was sure he was enjoying it. Slowly, the knife was raised to Oliver's sternum, the slow movement of the knife down his shirt.

It felt like the knife was hitting the bone, enough to cause Oliver to drop his head back, letting out a groan against the pain that was being caused. Waller watched the exchange between the two, surprised that Oliver was holding up so well again. Deciding there needed to be a different tactic, Waller nodded again to the man, who lifted Oliver from the chair before dragging him to a table.

Oliver didn't realise it until he was laying on his hand, his hands held tightly to his sides as he was strapped down. What could Waller possible do to him that was any worse than the torture he already suffered?

He barely struggled against the strap holding him to the table. He knew that after everything that had happened over the last almost 18 months, he should just give up and stop fighting, let whatever final situation take him to whatever fate awaited him. He felt like he was back on the island, that whole time being stuck in that cell or being tied up with his arms above his head so on the plus side, he was strapped to a table this time.

On the negative side, there was a towel thrown over his head and bucket after bucket of water were being poured over his face. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, could only hold on until the small break he got between each bucket of water. With each breath in, his mouth would fill with water from the towel, coating the inside of his mouth but barely allowing in any air, the one thing his body craved for.

A sudden blinding light found his eyes as the towel was pulled from his face, a cold rush of air causing goose bumps on his skin before he was being pulled from the table. Oliver sucked in as much air as he could, his lungs screaming for more than he could get in in one go.

"10 minutes, in impressed. I know Special Forces who can't last longer than 3. Eventually though, everybody breaks." Waller's deep voice was soft and low, Oliver barely noticed when he was dropped into the chair, coughing as he tried to suck in more air. She reached out to touch his long hair, dripping with water but Oliver swung at her hand, brushing it off easy. He would not let her touch him.

She huffed, not used to someone being so forceful towards her. Oliver Queen was stubborn and a pain in the ass. But she needed him. "What you did on that island, you are a very quick study Mr. Queen. It didn't take you long for Yao Fe and Mr. Knyazev to teach you to fight and your skills were…impressive…to say the least. There is a darkness in you Mr. Queen and I intend to use that."

Oliver narrowed his eyes at Waller, she didn't know the first thing about him, so how the hell could she see a _darkness_. But then it clicked for him, "You were _watching_ me?" How the hell had she been watching him when he was on an island in the middle of nowhere. Why didn't she ever help him to get home?

"Via keyhole hexagon satellite. How else would I know you possess the capabilities I require? We had been keeping an eye on that island for a while so imagine my surprise when Oliver Queen washes up on the shore." She moved to bring another chair close to him, sitting down she faced him front to front. "We watched you for almost 18 months Mr. Queen. That body you dropped with your bare hands? Now that was impressive. It takes years for someone to gain that particular skill."

Oliver dropped his eyes from Waller, he hated thinking of what he had done but what if she was right, he had found it so easy to learn the skills and then use them. He did have darkness in him, but that did not mean that he would help Waller at all. Lifting his eyes to her, Oliver narrowed them, "So what? You think because you pulled me off Hell-"

"Purgatory, Mr Queen. Lian Yu means Purgatory." She corrected him.

Oliver fought the urge to roll his eyes, of course he knew that already, still it didn't mean he would want to refer to it as the same. "You think because you pulled me off _Purgatory_ that I will just do what you want? You should have left me there to die. I'm never going to help you." He crossed his arms over his chest and dropped his eyes from her. Oliver Queen was nothing if not defiant when he didn't want to do something.

Waller was quiet for a minute, her face steady before it broke out into a small, almost evil smile. "Did you know Thea has developed something of a substance abuse problem since you've been gone? I guess the strain of losing two family members must have been too much for her to bare."Oliver's head snapped up, his eyes shining with confusion and fear.

"Oh, you didn't know. Your father died of a heart attack a year after you went missing. Your sister has not been coping very well. Drinking, partying, a drug addiction…One day someone may just find her in the back of a car…dead with a needle in her arm. Poor Speedy?"

Tears formed in Oliver's eyes, he could not comprehend the idea that his father was dead, that his baby sister has lost both her father and her brother in less than a year. Looking up from his lap, Oliver let a tear slip down his cheek, his mouth dropped open, "Thea…she…you stay away from my sister." He growled out deeply, his voice low in his chest. As his whole slacked against the chair, Waller nodded to someone behind him, brief movement and then the binds that were holding Oliver to the chair were cut.

But he still did not move to get up, his whole body heavy with emotions. He and his father may not have had the best of relationships but he loved his father, he knew Thea loved their father. Oliver brought his palms to his face, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands harshly, trying to quell the tears that wanted to fall.

"Now listen Oliver…we now all about your sister and mother…and we know that you are going to do what we ask mainly on that reason alone but in case you need any more motivation…" Waller placed a small discolours picture on Oliver's knee, his eyes finding it instantly, blinking rapidly to try and steady himself. "She's a pretty girl Mr. Queen. I suggest you get on board with the plan or Ms. Smoak may have the FBI knocking at her door."

Oliver did growl this time, he lunged at Waller but the guard behind placed both his hands on Oliver's shoulder, holding him in place. "You go anywhere near Felicity and I swear to God-" he struggled against the guard's hands.

But Waller just smirked again, "It looks like we have an understanding then Mr. Queen. She really has your heart, doesn't she?" Oliver narrowed his eyes, he wanted to rip Waller's head off for even saying Felicity's name.

Waller stood, moving towards the table off to the side, Oliver had only just now noticed it. He was lifted from his chair and pushed towards the table as well. "First we have to get you some new clothes." She looked him up and down although he would not say no to some new clothes. He had been in the same clothes he had stolen off the body of the guard for the last almost 8 months. "And then you do what you were brought here to do. That's why we brought you your tools."

Waller turned her back towards the side door, leaving Oliver standing in front a table that held Yao Fe's bow. Staring down at it, Oliver couldn't even bring himself to speak, he just stared at the weapon in front of him. He was raging inside, after being rescued by Waller who wanted him to what, kill people? And then she had the audacity to bring up Thea and Felicity, she knew how to play him well. His hand grasped tightly at the photo she had left for him, a photo of his best friends he honestly never thought he would see again.

"We recovered these when we recovered you. You're welcome." He could not believe Waller had brought the bow and arrow to wherever it was that they were. Slowly his hand reached out, his fingertips touching the bow gently, memories rushing back to him, Yao Fe, the island, Anatoly, the blood on his own hands. Turning his head back to the closed door that Waller had just left from, Oliver signed, this was going to get bad – quickly.

**Any love? I promise it won't be long until Oliver is home…**


	13. Can't Help Falling In Love With You

**Hey all! thank you for the love from the last chapter! Here is the new one - and to make up for the shorter chapter in the last one, this one is like 5700 words! enjoy :D **

**Chapter 13 – Can't Help Falling In Love With You **

Thea held herself tightly against the cold wind that was blowing around her, it was late afternoon by the time she had arrived at the field behind the mansion. "Hi Ollie, Dad. Stopped by the office today. Saw mum talking to Walter. Starting to think that somethings happening there. I don't know…" She laughed to herself unamused. She couldn't believe that after only 12 months of her father being dead was her mother moving, with her father's best friend no less. But she really should not have been surprised. The people in her family are known to just move on easily.

The crunching of footsteps behind her caught her attention, she turned to find Jorden standing there, his hands in his pocket like he always had. "Queenie." He had known to find her there; she had told him exactly where to find her. Their exchange was silent, money for drugs, something that they had come to understand over the last few months. They didn't need to speak, the faster he was out of her presence the less chance there was for someone to notice them together.

She could not have been more wrong this time around. "What the hell is this?" Tommy rushed up to her side, pushing passed Thea and grabbed for the guys standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here Tommy?" Thea tried to reach for Tommy, pulling him away from now slightly worried man.

But Tommy held on tighter, his fists bunching up the material on his chest. ""I was about to ask Jorden the same thing." He growled, but he missed the strange look that Thea gave Tommy, how did he know Jorden's name?

Jorden held his hands up in surrender, "Just paying the family my respects man." He looked towards Thea and then back to Tommy, as if trying to get him to believe him.

But Tommy knew better, he knew Jorden better than that, ""You did. Now you are going to stay away from her. Permanently." He shoved Jorden away from him, the force sending him backwards a few steps. Muttering to himself, Jorden rushed from the field, back the way he had come.

Tommy spun on his heals and pointed a finger towards Thea, "You should be bringing flowers here not looking to score drugs. You are better than this Thea."

Thea just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "What are you even doing here Tommy?" Tommy wasn't even supposed to be there today.

Tommy had tried to be there for Thea but she had pushed him away every chance she got. She was angry, she was a 16-year-old teenager and she was _angry_. Angry at her brother for leaving her, angry at her father for dying and leaving her with her mother who she was also angry at. Moira had locked herself in the house for the first few months after Robert died, she was not coping with the loss of her husband and her son all within a year.

By this point, Thea was raising herself, no parental supervision – even less than when Oliver was around – and a bank account and credit card with no limit. She was on her own, learning to navigate being a teenager and how to live without the two people in her life that she loved the most. It didn't surprise Tommy that she was going off the deep end.

That was why he tried to spend as much time with her as possible. He had taken her out for lunches, shopping or just hanging out with but now that it was just the two of them, Thea didn't want to spend any time with him, she fought against him, yelled and screamed and just all around turned into the teenager that he worried about. And did he worry about her. For good reason now he knew.

Mirroring Thea's stance, Tommy raised his eyebrow at her, he wanted to shake her straight, what the hell was Thea doing? "I came to thank you for my birthday card." She had sent him a birthday card, nothing special but the comment at the end was the real reason he had come to see her. "And to tell you that my party tonight is 21 and over, as far as you're concerned. You shouldn't grow up too fast Thea…"

Thea huffed, straightening her back as she glared at Tommy, "Yeah, well you're not my brother." She was being stubborn and childish and it frustrated Tommy to no end.

He was trying to hold back his anger. Getting angry with Thea, after everything she had been through in the last two years, was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He knew that getting angry with her was not going to help but her attitudes towards him and her whole situation were not helping reign him back. Clenching his jaw, Tommy spoke in a controlled tone, "You're right, no I'm not. But I think about him every single day; For the first time, I'm glad he's gone because seeing you like this would break his heart."

That did her in, Thea snapped, her voice raising as she took a step closer to Tommy, her hands dropping by her sides, clenching her fists, "It's funny how Ollie seems to care more about me now that he is dead than he did when he was alive! You know what Tommy, I know you don't really care, I don't need you ok, so you can go back to your home and your Laurel and just let me live life the way I want to."

Thea went to push past Tommy but he grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving, "Thea do you listen to yourself? How can you think that I don't care about you? You are like a sister to me. Felicity and I, we both worry about you…"

Reeling back as if Tommy had slapped her, Thea narrowed her eyes at him, "Felicity? Felicity worries about me? You can't be serious. She doesn't care about me, she only cared about Ollie. She can go to hell and so can you!" Thea turned on her heals and stalked back to the mansion, leaning Tommy to watch her retreating.

* * *

"Thomas Merlyn, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?" Tommy's head shot up at the sound of the young girl's voice, his eyes narrowing when he saw the 16-year-old Thea Queen, dressed very, very scantily at his bar. This was not going to end well for him or her.

The music was pumping around the room, each of the lights flashing in time with the DJ, thrones of people grinding together on the dance floor and there at the bar was birthday boy Tommy Merlyn and Thea Queen had easily caught Tommy's attention. Her dress was more a top but more so, he had specifically told her not to come. Huffing, Tommy moved towards the bar where Thea was, watching as she reached for the glass that was placed in front of her.

Thea leaned against the bar, waiting patiently for someone to serve her, she could feel Tommy still staring at her, ready to pounce if she tried to order something alcoholic. Glancing around she thought she noticed Felicity standing off to the side of the bar, her arms wrapped around herself as she waited for a drink.

No, that _was_ Felicity standing by the bar. Thea became agitated instantly, the thought of seeing Felicity after all this time made her angry. Furious and angry. Straightening her back, she went to step over to her to give when she stopped and watched on. Felicity's hand, that was rubbing her upper arm as though she was cold moved as a guy came to stand by her side.

Under the flashing lights, Thea could see the dark outline of a bruise on Felicity's arm, the distinct outline of finger marks dark against her usually pale skin. Thea blinked as she tried to get better look at the man standing by her side but she couldn't, Felicity was standing in the way.

The sudden appearance of a drink on the bar in front of her and a cute looking bartender in a red hoodie pulled Thea's attention away from Felicity. "On the house." Was his only words, with a wink of his eye the bartender moved back to the crowd waiting for him. Reaching out for the drink, Thea placed the straw between her lips, relishing in the Vodka and orange juice that mixed into her glass. Turning back towards Felicity, Thea found that she had gone, lost in the sea of people all celebrating Tommy birthday.

"Thea...what did I say?" Tommy made his way to Thea's side, taking her drink before she could continue drinking it. "Thea I warned you, if you didn't listen you'd be sent home. Now..." he waved over the bouncer who was waiting just inside the doors, "...James is going to call you a cab. Go home Thea. Now." He was angry, not only was she just 16 but if the cops decided they were going to check things out, he would lose his licence because it was pretty clear how old Thea Queen was.

Huffing, Thea turned on her heals and follow James from the dance floor, sending him one last angry look over her shoulder.

Tommy rubbed his face, he should have known Thea would crash and he was willing to let her stay, better her being in his club where he could keep an eye on her than letting her get drunk at other places, but she had deliberately gone against what he'd asked and so he was kicking her out.

Glancing behind him, Tommy's eyes linked with Felicity's, she seen the whole exchange. He could tell she felt guilty for not going over to help him but she also knew that if she did, she would be making the scene so much worse than it already was. Felicity was not the person that Thea would listen to, not anymore.

Stalking away, Tommy found Laurel easily in the crowd of people, a sad smile on her face as she kissed. She patted his back in an understanding of the situation, having both Thea and Felicity here - given their situations - Tommy still struggled to keep his head about him.

* * *

Oliver pushed through the thrones of people gathering around the market, faster he pushed as he tried to run from those following him, those who were chasing him. Luckily, Oliver's height gave him an advantage over those in the market, he was able to easily about to look over them all and see the rushing men in suits and gun. Bad luck for Oliver was that he did not blend into the crowd much at all. His clothes did not match, the new cargo's that he had been given and the shirt he had stolen was the only clothing he had.

He barely remembered the last time he had had an actual shower or put on fresh clothes, they were always wet from the ocean or the rain, dried and then put back on. Most of the time, it was just him in the ocean, clothed and all. But he did not have the time think about it now. Now he had to run. He was trying to run.

Glancing back to see where those behind him were, Oliver's senses kicked in instantly, sensing someone had stepped in front of him and he was able to drop his knees, sliding against the concrete, ducking away from the swinging fist that was coming his way. As he slid under the swinging arm, Oliver landed his own fist, connecting with the man's knee sending him buckling to the ground.

Standing quickly, Oliver rushed around the corner but this time he did miss the fist that came flying in his direction, connecting with his face. The pain was instant and blinding, groaning, his hand moved to his face before he blacked out, not knowing where this would lead him now.

* * *

"And how many times is that you have tried to escape over the last 3 months Mr. Queen?" Oliver groaned when heard that voice, he really hated that voice.

He sat up slowly, he was back in a room, one he didn't recognize. "That would make 9." He growled. He just wanted to get away from her, he had gone from an island off the coast of the China, to apparently China, what else could she possibly want from him?

Sighing, Waller stood from the chair she was sitting on, moving towards the small room that looked like a bathroom, she flicked on the light. "Get up Mr. Queen, we have a job for you. But first, shower and change. You've been in those clothes for almost 2 years – the ocean water does not rate well for cleaning clothes." She left him there, listening as the door locked behind her.

Oliver would be lying if he said that a nice hot shower didn't interest him. God, he needed that shower and so the first thing he did was strip himself down to nothing and step inside the warm running water. He had never been so happy to have the running water. He washed himself, scrubbed his skin and his hair, watching as the water at his feet ran a little darker.

It was true, he may have had the ocean to swim in and clean up in but he had not _showered _for a really long time and it felt nice. Once he was out, Oliver reached for the only clothing that had been left in the bathroom – a pair of black boxers. He pulled them on, staring back at himself in the mirror, his messy, wet, long hair sticking up in all the places. He could see the array of scars on his chest, each one a reminder of the pain he had suffered on the island.

Turning, Oliver looked over his back, the burn marks on his lower back, the whip marks on his shoulder, these were more tails he would rather forget, pain that kept him up at night, the fear that came with the nightmares. It was the first time he had a chance really look at the imperfections on his body, his fingers skirting over each one of them.

Sighing, he moved from the bathroom and he found himself standing in the room once more, wet and only in a pair of boxers with Amanda Waller staring back at him, her eyebrow arched as she took him in all. He felt a little self-conscious at the way Waller was looking at him, a small uptake in her lips as her eyes eventually made their way back up to his face. "Get dressed Mr. Queen. We have to leave…" She moved passed, him still taking him all in.

This was when he noticed the pile of clothing sitting on the chair waiting for him. In the corner he eyes off another bag which had more clothes in it, part of him was thankful that he now had a change of clothes. He pulled the cargo pants on easily, the shirt next. "You've had to go up a few sizes in the shirts Mr. Queen, working out on the island has done you wonders…" Oliver didn't even know she was still there but he hurried to pulled the shirt on, followed by the socks, shoes and dark green hoodie that waited him.

Grabbing the bag, Oliver hurried off to catch up with Waller, who was still eyeing him but as they turned down the hallway, Oliver found himself in a bar. He took the seat instantly, a glass of whiskey already placed in front of him. "What do you want from me?"

She turned to him, "I want to give you something Mr. Queen. I know that you think you can't go home-"

Oliver cut her off, "I can't be anywhere near my family."

She ignored him though, "You feel you are a monster and you can't change who you are. You have an inner darkness. Let me channel that, let it flow through you. It's already there Mr. Queen, you just have to accept it." Oliver turned to Waller, his eyes narrowing, suddenly unfocussed. Closing his eyes, Oliver took a deep breath, he knew this feeling, he had been drugged, the swaying, the uneasiness and the lack of control.

He really hated Waller.

* * *

"You're not dead if that's what you are wondering…" Oliver heard the voice, the goddamn voice that he had been hearing for the last 3 months, that voice that had been haunting his dreams was pulling him from the darkness. Groaning, Oliver rubbed his eyes, everything was hazy as tried to get his bearing.

She had drugged him. Oliver remembers having a conversation with Waller, he remembered the alcohol she had given him, he remembered her calling him a monster and talking about the darkness inside of him and then he remembered nothing. Waller had to have drugged him because there was no way he would have gone anywhere with her otherwise. Although he had no idea where this 'anywhere' was.

Oliver's focus finally found Waller, her stoic face staring back at him, he really wanted to slap that smirk off her face, "Once again you have the good fortune of being uniquely qualified to help me…" He glanced out the window before turning back to him, "Mr. Queen, we have brought you here for one reason only…"

Turning his head slowly, the bright lights of the city around him caught his attention, the buildings flashing past the town car that he was in. It was late, after midnight by his senses, each and every one of them kicking in. He recognized this city, the streets they turned down and the lights above his head. He was home. He was back in Starling City.

His eyes snapped back to Waller, narrowing instantly, "Why they hell am I back here? What do you want from me?" He was getting angry, she had pulled him from the island, tortured him for weeks and then set him to tasks that included hunting down men for the others in the organization to go about their business, something Waller had always made him sit around and watch and then participate.

_Screaming echoed through the empty basement, the perfect place to hide someone, to get information that they were not willing to give up easily. He was strapped to the chair, his arms and hands held tightly to the arm rests, Oliver sitting opposite him, the small, hand held arrow inching closer to his fingernails, intent on one purpose. Pain. _

"_Bù xièxiè. Wǒ shénme dōu bù zhīdào" (No, please. I don't know anything.)_

_Oliver wished he could believe the man but he did not have that luxury, he had information about a terrorist group and Waller needed that information. Before the man could think, Oliver grabbed for the man's hand, holding it steady as he moved the arrow closer towards the fingers, feeling the panic and against pressure that came when the arrow head made contact with skin under the finger nail. _

_The man's screams echoed again, his instinct to pull away from the pain that Oliver was causing. The arrow head pushed past the skin, lifting the nail from its place, blood seeping down both their hands and the chair. Oliver only stopped when he hit bone, looking back up at the man._

_He was crying, whimpering but still the words fell from his mouth__, __"__Bù xièxiè. Wǒ shénme dōu bù zhīdào" (No, please. I don't know anything). And so the process continued, Oliver moved the arrow head to the next finger and the next, piercing under the finger nail, feeling the skin split and the tip hitting the bone. The blood continued to rush from the broken skin. _

_This was making Oliver feel sick but he had to do it, the target was unknown but the damage that would be caused was going to be catastrophic. That much they knew. Oliver had to find out the information before it was too late. _

_Oliver was reaching for the fourth finger when the man snapped, "Děng děng. Hǎo, wǒ gàosù nǐ…! (Wait, wait. Ok, I'll tell you…") That was enough for Oliver to stop what he was doing, look behind him at Waller who just nodded, the man spilling his guts about the plot, the target, the plan and who was involved. _

_After what felt like forever, Oliver moved past Waller, his stomach in knots as he realized that he had just tortured a man for information. What had he become? Feeling his stomach flip once more, Oliver rushed to the small bathroom he knew was off to the side and emptied his stomach into the toilet, his whole body shaking at the thought of what he had just done. _

_Standing slowly, Oliver moved to wash his hands, staring down at the as they shook, the blood coating them had already started to dry. He began to rub, to scrub them clean, the water diluting the red liquid as it drained away, eventually running clean. He felt sick still, the island may have turned him into a killer but Waller had turned him into a monster. She had let out the darkness that Oliver didn't know if he could every escape._

* * *

God, this place hadn't changed. The office was exactly the same as Oliver remembered it, the same furniture, same equipment, same pictures. Nothing had changed but it was clear that it was no longer his father who resided in this office of QC, for obvious reasons. It made Oliver sad to think about the fact that he had lost his father. After Waller had told him, Oliver had spent the next week in a single room, either laying on the bed or just sitting against the wall, memories and images of his father running through his mind.

He and his father may have been at odds during their lives but Oliver loved his father and the thought that he was now gone broke him a little more. It was like he had lost another part of himself but Oliver didn't know if that was from his death or that he couldn't be with his family to mourn.

His mother and Thea were clearly not coping very well, Thea more so, having lost a brother and father in only a few years, he wished, hoped, that Tommy and Felicity were by her side while she continued to grow and hopefully grow out of her faze.

But right now, Oliver could not think about that, he needed to get in and out of his mother's office before the security did their walk through. He had 15 minutes exactly to get what he needed from the computer and not a second more. The hard part was, that he needed almost all of that time to copy the files he was looking for.

When Waller had told him that he was going to be breaking into his family's company building, he had just stared at her, _"You told me that if anyone found out I was alive, you would kill them. Sending me into my family's company sounds like suicide…" _Oliver remembered the smirk on her face as she stared back at him from the opposite side of the car, _"Well I suppose it's best you don't let anyone see you…"_ Before she had all but kicked him out of the car and into a dark alley.

From there he had to work out how to get into the building and up to the top floor, the floor that overlooked the whole city, the floor that was no doubt going to be surrounded by guards. Thankfully, Oliver had spent a few afternoon's in the stairwells in the QC building doing things with young female employees that didn't need to be caught on camera and so he knew which stairwells were clear and which ones to avoid. He also knew that they were rarely patrolled by the guards who were either too lazy or fat or both to actually go through them. He had easily found his way up the staircase without being seen, although he was only able to get so far before he had to break his way into the elevator shaft and scale the rest of the way up.

He was glad that he had spent so much time on the island working out his upper body before Waller had found him, he would have been in a lot of trouble otherwise. Each upwards movement was met with almost no ability to use his legs, the gaps between beams was too much for him to be able to push up with anything but his arms, shoulders and back. It had taken a little longer than he had planned but that just meant he needed to be very careful of his timing. The guards would be back around every 15 and the time had just hit 11.16pm, which meant he had just under 15 minutes to get the job done.

Shaking his head, Oliver moved quickly to the computer on the desk, typing away he was able to get into the database, his mother had always used his date of birth for her passwords and so he figured that he would start there. Plugging in the USB stick, Oliver watched as the program started to upload onto the desktop, running instantly to find the information that he was looking for.

Waller had told him that the information they were gathering would help to expose which employee was syphoning money to a terrorist unit. This employee had been careful but Waller's men had been able to track their original workplace to QC, which is how Oliver came to into play. Waller had the bright idea that he would be the only one who could break into the system without bringing too much attention to someone trying to get into said system.

Sitting by the computer, Oliver watched as the program on the USB searched through the whole database, he had no idea how it worked, just that it did which gave him exactly 11 minutes to do his own snooping around.

He had been gone for just over 2 years and he wanted to know what had been happening in the world of QC and his family and so he clicked away, opening folder after folder, document after document. In the back of his mind, he would never forget the words that had been spoken to him those years ago on the island. Starling City was the hub city for a drug distribution and the city's elite was allowing it. They had been calling the shots, allowing it to be brought into the city, sold and used easily, without any say from those who should be protecting the kids and families of Starling City.

Oliver felt that if there was any information about the whole set up, he would find it on QC's computer. It was one of the most secure system in the country and he knew that it was virtually impossible for someone to hack into it. As he clicked around, Oliver's eyes fell on a folder that was unnamed, buried deep inside three other folders. He knew there was something in it, there was something hiding inside it and so he opened it, glancing down at his watch. 8 minutes left before the next guard's rounds.

Instantly a video popped up, his father and mother on screen. It seemed as though it was CCTV footage from an office room, his parents were the only ones in view. There were two others standing with their back to camera and one off to the side. He wanted to play the video but knew it would bring too much attention. Sliding open the drawer, Oliver found another USB, plugged it in and copied the whole folder – files, documents and videos included. He clicked through other files, bringing up shipment dates and times, things he needed to search through closer and with more time.

The flashing light of the USB had originally installed flashed at him, clicking back to the program, he found that it had completed and copied all the files it had found. That was when he heard the ding on the elevator in the distance. He panicked. Quickly he pulled the first USB out of the computer and put it in his pocket, he looked back at the upload of the second USB and he found that it was still going.

The sounds of heals clicking on the ground were coming closer, each step and he would be caught. Locking the computer, Oliver placed a piece of paper over the USB that was still copying, hoping that it wouldn't be noticed by whoever was coming. Moving to the side of the office space, Oliver pulled up his hood, covering his face just in case. He hid behind a wall that was an offset of the office, it led to a bathroom.

The heals were getting closer but they were not heavy or slow, they were not his mother's so they had to be someone else. "I'm fine James, really. I just need to drop these things off. Thank you!"

_Oh God, that voice. _Oliver knew that voice, he dreamed about that voice, he fantasized about that voice. His heart leaped in his chest as Oliver leaned out from his hiding place, his breath caught in his throat when he saw her. Felicity Smoak, his best friend.

She hadn't changed, she was still as beautiful as ever. Her dark hair in a high pony tail, her black glasses on her face, brightening her piercing blue eyes, her lips a pinky colour. He looked down her body, his jaw tightening when he took in her clothing. The black skirt, white top, she looked older, more sure of herself. She was _beautiful. _

He watched her closely, his heart stopping for a moment when she placed some files down on the desk, she stopped reaching for something. Could she have seen the USB he left? Could she tell that someone had been there? Waiting a moment, Oliver noticed that she didn't reach for the computer but for the photo next to it. He watched as she smiled sadly.

"God you were cute. You needed a damn hair cut though. Really, people would think you _liked _looking like serial killer." Oliver smiled, she was talking to herself like always, babbling away. "If you were here, you would give me some excuse about how girls like to run their fingers through long hair and I would say something stupid about needing to hold on. Not that I ever thought of you want way, I mean you were my best friend…but it's not to say that I couldn't think of my best friend that way but you were…" Felicity groaned, "I really need to stop talking to myself."

Oliver smiled to himself as he watched her moved back around the desk, listening to her mutter to herself always made him smile. It was something that he had missed, that feeling in his heart and soul, that feeling only she could give him. He missed her, he always missed her, he would always miss her and one day he hoped that he would be able to get back to her but that seemed less and less likely, he had done horrible things – he knew that coming home, being near his family and friends, they would be disgusted with him. But seeing her now, hearing that gentle voice it gave him a renewed desire to at least keep fighting.

Smirking, he moved back to the computer, he pulled the USB from its hiding spot, thankful that the copying had finished before he moved to follow Felicity, listening to the elevator moving back down the shaft, giving him his exit. As he scaled back down to the floor, he knew he could get back to the staircase that would take him back to the street.

Once he was on the street, the light of the midnight moon was shining down on him in the dark alley he had found himself in. Oliver leaned against the brick wall, trying to control his breathing. He had just seen Felicity, the girl – woman – that he had fallen in love with many years ago. He had seen her again for the first time in over 2 years and she was beautiful, stunning and everything he remembered and more.

He hesitated for a moment, he really needed to get the USB drive back to Waller so he could get the hell out of Starling City, he knew he couldn't be seen and the longer he stayed the more chance it was that someone would see him hanging around. He went to make a move, he needed to get out of the alley but as he reached the cross way he could see Felicity coming once again.

Quickly, Oliver braced himself against the brick wall as she passed, passed so close that he could almost smell her but he could hear her, her voice was as crisp as it had been in the office. "Yes Tommy, I told you that I was coming and I also told you that I had to work tonight. It's not like you don't have a party every month…Yes, I'm heading to your place now…Thank you making sure the front gate knows I'm coming. I hate standing out on the street…" She laughed once more before hanging up.

She was going to Tommy's house, she was still close with Tommy – that made him smile, she wasn't alone, they had each other in their lives. As he watched her get into the red mini coup that was waiting by the side of the road, Oliver felt this strong desire to follow her, to make sure she was alright. He _needed_ to know that she was going to be ok. And so he did, Oliver knew his own way to the Merlyn Mansion, he knew that he would get there not much later after her. Taking off in the opposite direction, Oliver kept his hood over his face and his head down.

He couldn't get caught.


	14. Torn

**Hey all, thank you so much for the love from the last chapter! It's amazing to have your support. In saying this – I just wanted to reiterate, I am not writing Felicity's storyline just have to Oliver come and save her, yes she has been hurt, yes she will have Oliver (eventually) and Tommy helping her out but considering I have been the basically the exact situation as I am writing her in, she will come out on top and I already have a scene written that shows how strong she is. **

**She is not a damsel in distress. I know this and I do hope that for the most part – those who are still following this can see that. **

**In saying this, I do promise that Oliver will be home soon. You believe me…right? heheh Please enjoy the Oliver heavy chapter!  
**

**Chapter 14 – Torn**

The music was thumping as Oliver skirted his way up the driveway, he kept his head down and the hoodie pulled close to his body as he tried to keep himself from being recognized or even seen. He kept to the shadows, making sure he didn't touch anyone or get too close. Oliver knew these parties and the fact that it was almost midnight meant that everyone here was drunk so the last thing they were focusing on was those around them.

It played to his advantage, if they didn't notice him there, they couldn't recognize him, which meant he kept his family safe. But he knew it was a risk being here, anyone of his of friends – more like acquaintances – could see him, Hell even Tommy and Felicity could stumble upon him while he tried to hide but he needed to see her, needed to know that she was ok.

Pushing his way through the large front door, Oliver was greeted with the family laughter, thumping music and thrones of people dancing, drinking and making out. He stopped for a moment, his eyes falling on two people, she had her back against the wall, her dark hair falling over her shoulder and her leg hiked up over the man's hip, his lips clearly attached to her neck. He on the other hand, held her in place with one hand holding onto hers, the other of her hands tangled in his dirty blonde hair.

For a split second, an instant and a flash, Oliver watched the two and imagined it was he and Felicity in the same position but the image was gone in an instant. In the back of his mind, Oliver knew it had been almost 3 years since he'd had sex or even been close to another woman and seeing Felicity tonight had lit a fire inside of him that he knew would only end one way the minute he was alone, also something he hadn't done in a long time.

Shaking his head, Oliver moved further through the house, tracking through each of the main room's downstairs, thankful the lighting was down. Finally, he spotted Felicity, she hadn't changed from what she was wearing at QC so she was easy to find but he found her sitting on the couch next to Tommy, a drink in their hands. With his back against the wall – Oliver stayed out of sight as he listened to them both talk and laugh.

Oh, the sound of her laugher was enough to make his heart sore. A small amount of sunlight in his otherwise dark life. He kept his head, making sure the hood still covered his eyes but he listened.

"Why have a party Tommy? It was your birthday not long ago…remember we went to Verdant?" Felicity laughed as Tommy through his arm over her shoulder.

_Verdant_? That was the name of the bar that Oliver wanted to open before he got on the boat, the same bar his father said he was crazy for wanting. But he didn't get a chance to think more of it when Tommy spoke.

"That was months ago Felicity! Besides, this weekend was the anniversary of mine and Ollie's first huge party all those years ago!" Oliver listened as Tommy laughed loudly, his own thoughts going back to that first party they had thrown when they were 16 years old. But then Tommy's voice dropped, "I thought it would be nice to honor it, even though he isn't here."

There was movement, shifting of the couch, "I miss him too Tommy. Every day, I miss him." This time it was Felicity's voice and it was soft, gently. She missed him, God he really needed to hear that. More than he liked to admit. Glancing around the corner he was hiding behind, Oliver watched as Felicity moved from the couch next to Tommy, making her way towards the large staircase.

His eyes followed her as she moved, probably heading to the bathrooms that were upstairs, something only she would know about but as she moved, Oliver noticed that the eyes of someone else had focused on her, someone he recognized as Anthony Walker. Oliver watched as Anthony pushed himself off the wall and follow her towards the staircase.

But first there was a hallway she would have to go down, wide enough for people to hang around and there still be room to move but it was a little more secluded that Oliver would like. He knew all about Anthony Walker, he knew about the things he had done in the past and Oliver knew that Anthony Walker would not be missed from the world.

Moving quietly Oliver watched as Anthony approached Felicity while in the hallway, Oliver's fists clenched as he watched on, watched as Anthony cornered Felicity against the wall, his chest against her back, his hands moving up her sides. Oliver had to stop himself from marching right up to them and pulling Anthony off her but he couldn't, not yet and he knew that.

It infuriated him to see Felicity stuck the way she was, trying to push Anthony off her but he was much bigger than her, stronger. But Oliver had to smile, watching as Felicity spun in his arms, placed both her hands on his chest and pushed him off her with full force.

_That's my girl. _He smirked to himself as he watched the shocked look on Anthony's face.

But his own smirk fell when Anthony placed both his hands on Felicity's shoulders and shoved her backwards, her head slamming into the wall painfully. From his hiding spot, Oliver could see her face scrunch up in pain but Anthony just walked away, tracking straight passed Oliver and heading straight upstairs. This time Oliver could not hold himself back, once Anthony was halfway up the staircase, and so he followed him, tracking him around a few corners until they were in a quieter part of the second level, the sound of the music was muffled by the extra walls.

It was a quick turn around, Oliver was able to sneak up behind Anthony, the pressure he put on Anthony's arms caused him to turn around and slam his back into the wall, much like what had happened to Felicity moments ago. "What the Hell man?" Anthony groaned, trying to reach for Oliver but he was quicker.

Dropping his voice to a deep growl, Oliver stepped closer to Anthony, he may not have been taller than him but he was well and truly wider than him. "Stay the hell away from Felicity Smoak, do you understand me?"

Anthony gawked at Oliver for a moment, clearly no clue who Felicity was, "The woman you just tried to feel up!" Oliver raised his voice, pushing again Anthony's chest once more, "Stay the hell away from her!" His voice dropped even lower; each word spoken as punctured as possible.

Nodding quickly, Anthony put his hands up, trying to show Oliver he was backing off but then something crossed his face, a look that Oliver recognized instantly. _Recognition. _Anthony had recognized Oliver. "Hey I know you. You're supposed to be dead!" Anthony laughed at Oliver, like he had just won the lottery of information.

Blinking for a moment, Oliver panicked and so quickly he reached up for Anthony's head, twisting his arms around his neck and forcing his neck in the opposite way. Under his hands, Oliver felt the bones in neck cracking, the muscles in his body weakening. After a short moment of panic flowed through Oliver, in his arms was a dead weight, a literal dead weight. Looking around, he thought for a moment before eyeing the banister by the balcony.

And so, in one swift movement, Oliver was able to move Anthony's body toward the rail before lifting him over the edge, watching as his body fell from the second story to the landing thudding on the ground below.

Leaning over the edge of the balcony, Oliver focused on the body below, sprawled out on the marble tiles below. This was just another name person he could add to the list of people he had killed, but there was a small part of him that couldn't come to care, Anthony had hurt a lot of young woman and Oliver was almost happy to be able to take him out of the equation.

Realizing he couldn't stay there any longer, Oliver rushed down the furthest staircase, away from the crowd which he knew was only in the other room, his hood pulled further over his face. As he rushed from the house, he heard the first of the screams and the second and then the first.

Deciding to hide in the bushes and wait until the crowd had gathered outside before leaving, Oliver's eyes focused on Felicity instantly, he could find her in room at any time. She was safe and that's all he cared about.

* * *

Oliver stood out on the sidewalk, watching closely as he took in the scene around him. He was acutely aware of where people were, he could sense the fear and the uneasiness that was coming off them as they also all stood around surrounded by police and ambulance. The aftermath of Tommy's party had become a circus and he really had no one else to blame but himself really. He was the one who had followed Felicity in, he had been the one that had tracked the creep who had tried to corner her.

Oliver really only wanted to scare him. Wanted to put the fear of God into the man who thought it was allowed to corner a young woman and scare her until she was too terrified to move. He had known Anthony Walker since they were kids and what he had tried to do to Felicity – well that wasn't the first time he had tried it and as far as he knew, he had succeeded in his plans in the past.

He had always felt so sick to know that Anthony had hurt girls when they were younger. Oliver was prick, he lied and cheated and drank and used drugs, didn't give a damn about anyone other than himself (and Tommy and Felicity) but it would have made him sick to know that he had hurt a girl the way Anthony had hurt them. Anthony was scum of the earth with spent more time deal drugs to young girls than anything else.

So, when Anthony had recognized Oliver, he panicked a little. Oliver could not risk anyone believing Anthony – he couldn't even risk him just talking about Oliver being alive, because if his family, Tommy and Felicity had even thought there was a remote possibility they would come looking for him and Waller had made it very clear what would happen to them if they ever found out.

Keeping watch of the scene in front of him, Oliver kept his head down, his green hoodie covering his eyes and most of his face, enough to ensure that no one else recognized him but as he watched on, his head lifted a little more as he saw Felicity walking out into the street, the cops surrounding her before she pushed them away.

She seemed rattled, unsurprisingly considering the person who had just tried to force her into a bedroom had been found with a snapped neck and thrown over a balcony. Oliver watched her closely as she wrapped her arms around herself even more, trying to make herself smaller. She jumped a little when a hand was placed on her shoulder, she turned, pushing her dark hair from her face and her glasses up her nose a little more.

Tommy came to stand in front of her, his hands placed on both sides of her shoulders as he looked down at her, Oliver couldn't see his face but he knew there was concern there. Oliver wanted to smile to himself, Tommy had kept his word and had been looking after Felicity and it was clear that they had become closer over the last few years that he had been away. It was only a few moments before Tommy pulled Felicity into his arms, holding her tightly, his chin resting on her head as he held her. It was obviously something they would naturally do, the both seemed at ease.

Movement behind Oliver caught his attention but before he could turn and face the attacker, Oliver felt the telltale poke of the muzzle of a gun in his back, "Move…" The voice was deep, one that he had heard before – one of Waller's goons. Sighing, Oliver moved from the crowd, walking away from the cops and mass of people who were still waiting around. Waller was going to be fuming with him that he had gone off after his mission, but honestly Oliver couldn't seem to bring himself to care.

If he hadn't had been there, god only knows what would have happened to Felicity. That was something that Oliver did not want to think about. Slowly, the gun in Oliver's back directed him to a black town car, he knew who was inside, Waller waiting for him. Groaning, Oliver flung open the back door, all but throwing himself into the car, almost petulantly.

Silence stretched between Oliver and Waller as the car pulled away, his eyes focusing purely on the scene they passed, the cops and people, his eyes finding Felicity instantly. He couldn't look away from her, her eyes, her face, her body. He wanted to pump from the moving car and run right into her arms. He needed to remember what her arms felt like. It wasn't until she was completely out of sight that he looked away, his hands clenched tightly in his lap.

"I warned you Mr. Queen." Waller hadn't even looked at him, her eyes were also focused on the passing world but she didn't not show any interest in anything other than berating him. She finally looked at him, contempt and anger written all over her face. "You were useful to me but now – now you have just become a pain in my ass." She looked towards the muscle for hire next to Oliver, nodded once and then the world around him went black.

Waller sighed as Oliver's head dropped against his chest. Her muscle for hire had knocked him out cold with one punch. She could have really used Oliver's Queen's help, his particular skills were useful to her, his darkness and strength were skills that Amanda Waller and her department could utilize and manipulate to her own will. But Oliver Queen could not be controlled and she really did not want to have to worry about him.

* * *

Oliver groaned as he came to, the world around him becoming clearer as his eyes focused. But he was not in the world, he was in an enclosed metal box, well something like that at least. Sitting up slowly, Oliver took in the framing around him, the walls were lined with netting, harnesses and small seats. He did not know where exactly he was but he had been on a plane enough times in his life to know the sounds of a plane midflight.

What the Hell had Waller done?

Rolling over onto his hands and knees, Oliver heard the voice again, the goddamn voice! "Nice nap?" A small snicker followed and so Oliver looked up, narrowing his eyes at the voice.

Finally standing on his feet, Oliver rolled his eyes, Oliver was pissed off, he was angry and pissed off that Waller a) kept having him knocked out, b) kept pulling him in different situations and c) kept thinking he would just do what he was told to do. Amanda Waller must not have known Oliver Queen very well if she thought he would never question her. He had fought against her from the minute she had pulled him off the island.

Locking his jaw, Oliver straightened his back, "I wasn't napping, you knocked me out. Where is Waller?" He needed to see Waller, he needed to talk to Waller. This was getting ridiculous; she can't just send him wherever she wanted.

But the muscle man smirked back at him, he knew just how to get under Oliver's skin, "Back in Starling City I'd say. Keeping an eye on your girlfriend." And it was enough for Oliver to lunge at muscle man, he was making Oliver angry and he knew it.

Instantly a gun was raised in Oliver's face and it stopped Oliver in his tracks, raising his hands in defense, his voice dropping low, "Get her on the phone and tell her to stay the hell away from Felicity. I want to know what I'm doing here." If anything happened to Felicity, Oliver was going to lose his mind. She could threaten his family and he could threaten Felicity and Tommy all she wanted but knowing that she was still in Starling City with Felicity, that knowledge was going to drive him really crazy.

Suddenly a backpack was thrown in his direction, landing with a thud on the floor, the gun still raised to Oliver's head as he glanced down at it, realizing it wasn't just a backpack but a parachute, "Agent Waller would like me to thank you personally for your assistance and she would like to give you a little holiday. Now you either get off this plane with the chute or a bullet in the head. Your call."

The muscle racked the firearm and raised it again, watching as Oliver leaned over to grab the backpack, slipping it over his shoulder. Oliver's narrowed his eyes, his head still hurt and he vaguely wondered if the constant being knocked out was going to cause any permanent damage. Latching the buckles on the front of the backpack, his voice sounded low, "Why is Waller doing this?"

Muscle took a step closer to Oliver, the gun still raised, "I guess you've become a pain in the ass. Usually she kills them, I guess she likes you…" he kept taking a step closer to Oliver, causing him to step backwards. Oliver knew he was stepping closer to the ramp of the plane, the same one that would be opening up to reveal his destination below.

With each step, Oliver felt the plane move, the ramp opening up to reveal the dark clouds below and the billowing wind, sending his long hair whipping around him. Oliver Queen was not scared of height but this was something completely different. "Last bit of advice, this place is target capable so you are going to have to HALO in…" But the confused look on Oliver's face caused muscle to explain himself a little further. "When you think you are about to splat, only then do you pull the chute."

Turning, Oliver looked down, his fists clenching in fear at the unknown. He had no idea where he was, what he was going to do down there or even where down there was. Narrowing his eyes, the clouds parted for a moment, giving Oliver direct view of where he was. Below the apparently low flying plane, a large multicolored building began to come into focus, Oliver may have dropped out of 2 colleges and barely passed high school but he wasn't stupid, he knew what famous landmarks where in the world and where exactly he could find them in the world.

Eyes widening, his voice was loud against the wind, "Wait…is that-" as he turned back to look at the muscle who still held the gun raised at his head, the gun connected with Oliver's cheek, whipping head backwards and sending him tumbling out of the back of the plane.

He was freefalling – something that Oliver had never done before. He had never bungy jumped or sky dived, he had never really gotten to many heights in his life and as he righted himself, Oliver realized just how quickly the world was coming to meet him on the way down.

The last piece of advice that was given to Oliver floated through his head, that sudden feeling of going to hit the ground washed over him and so he squeezed his eyes closed tightly, took too deep breaths and pulled the cord sharply, feeling the instant whiplash of the parachute deploying above him.

With a quick grab of the sliders of either side of the chute, Oliver was somehow able to steady himself, keeping his swaying to a minimum. In the distance, Oliver could make out the outline of what looked like a factory building. Somehow, he was able to maneuver his way towards the building but he had no idea how he was going to land – he'd never done this before.

Holding on tight and sucking in a breath, Oliver could only watch as the world came closer to him, the building coming more into focus and the detail of where he was going to land suddenly hit him. He was going to land in an alley way that was littered with rubbish bags and garbage bins. Holding on tight, his feet came into contact with the hard ground below, sending his whole body forward with a painful force, the wind in the alley way picking up the parachute and propelling him forward again into a large dumpster, his back connecting painfully as the parachute fluttered over his body, the wind dying out.

Oliver groaned, his body hurt from the collision, the dead of the night the only thing he could hear was the sound of feet moving and soft voices, "Что это было? (what was that?)" The footsteps came closer but Oliver couldn't move, his head pounded from the butt of the gun and the collision with the ground. The parachute was ripped from his body, Oliver's shaggy hair covering his face but he could see the burley men standing above him.

"Кто ты, черт возьми?" (Who the fuck are you?)

Fuck, he knew that accent, he recognized the language. He'd pick it anywhere.

Oliver Queen was in Russia.

**Please review! :D **


	15. Run To Me

I am SO SO SO SORRY for the wait for this chapter, i have been flat out with work, i have been getting as much done as i can and have finally finished it. Thank you so much for the love from the last chapter and i hope this is worth the wait. I promise, Oliver will be home soon :D

**Chapter 15 – Run To Me**

Oliver hated running. It was the one thing he had never wanted to do in his life, granted he preferred to get his cardio workout in bed, running was the one thing that Oliver Queen never thought he would find himself doing. And yet every time he found himself running, chasing or just hiding, Oliver found the running almost freeing.

But God, Oliver hated running.

Over the last almost 2 and half years, any time Oliver ran, it meant that he was in danger, it meant that someone trying to hurt or kill him. And that wasn't fun, none of that was fun. But still he moved, pushed his legs faster through the streets of Russia, not really sure exactly which parts of Russia he was in but Oliver never really wanted to stop long enough to think about it.

Once he had regained consciousness after crashing against the dumpster, he had been able to get his bearings fast enough that he was able to sweep the legs out from one of the men headed his way, throwing his whole-body weight behind his shoulder, Oliver was able to throw the other man off his feet but Oliver didn't not hang around.

Scrambling to his feet, Oliver rushed from the scene, glancing back quickly as he ran around the corner of the building, huffing out a breath, pain from the fall settling in. He barely had a chance to skid to a stop before he ran into the forearm of another man who was waiting for him. Sending him crashing to the ground, his head colliding with the concrete painfully, darkness taking over

* * *

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

Oliver was getting really, really, _really_ tired of being in this situation. He'd fought so hard to survive when he was on the island and when he was working and training with Waller. He had fought to keep himself going and make sure he was the one that came on top but somehow, he always ended up in a dark room, tied up and beaten. Granted this time around it was the first two that got him right now but he was prepared for whatever was going to come his way.

Silently, Oliver was thankful that Anatoly had taken the time to teach him Russian, granted it was not much but he knew it was better than not knowing anything at all. He had been able to gain a bit of an understanding of what was happening but it was only very few words at this point, he could only hear pieces of what was being spoken.

He had no idea how long he had been tied to the chair, his shoulders ached and his wrists hurt from the handcuffs but at least he was dry, the bag over his head only let in a small amount of light, shadows and movement around him but he could not make out anything. Instead, Oliver used this time to work on his hearing. Some of the people he _worked_ with – if you could call it that – at ARGUS had talked to him about using his hearing to focus on what was around him, honing that skill.

And so that's what he did, he listened, listened to the rain and the wind, listed to the creaking of the building and swaying of the light above his head. The constant dripping of from the room above him, it wasn't far, maybe a meter to his left. He could hear the rhythms of the trains outside the building, going past every half hour on the dot.

In the background he could hear the downpour of rain that had been happening for what seemed like hours, the wind had picked up and granted it was cold wherever he was, it was better than being cold and wet. He was hungry, the only other noise that broke the silence of the room was his stomach begging for food. Dropping his head, Oliver let his mind wander for a moment, anything to keep his thinking off his hunger.

The sudden sound of a door scarping open caught his attention, it came from behind him – to the right and each step the person took to stand in front of him, twelve in total. Then silence again, the soft steady breathing of the new person, a male. "Oliver Queen, my brother." Oliver's head shot up instantly, he knew that voice, he'd recognize it anywhere in the world. He felt his shoulder drop in relief, _Anatoly. _

Anatoly was there, someone he knew and someone who could help him. Oliver could not say how happy he was to hear Anatoly's voice after everything he had been through. A familiar person and a friend. Something that Oliver had missed and desperately needed after being in the situations he had been in over the last 2 and a half years.

Then there was movement again, Oliver felt the air move around him as Anatoly leaned closer, the bag ripped from his head, the stark, bright light assaulting his sense. Squinting for a moment, Oliver smiled, huffing out a laugh as he focused on the man in front of him. Anatoly was dressed nicely, a three-piece suit tailored to his body, his facial hair clean and neat. A different man to the one he met on the island, a time that felt like a life time ago. "Anatoly, it is very good to see you." Oliver laughed again; he was deliriously happy to know that Anatoly was there.

Anatoly smirked at Oliver, it was clear that he had been there a while, thirst and hunger had taken over, Oliver's lips were chapped and dry from the lack of water. Taking a step closer to Oliver, Anatoly leaned over, reaching around his back, placing both of his hands on Oliver's. "What are you doing?" Huffing out another laugh, Oliver scrunched his face as Anatoly's movements, unsure of what the other man was doing.

But Anatoly stay silence, a gentle movement on Oliver's thumbs and then a sharp and forceful press down. The sound of Oliver's knuckles cracking and the sharp cry from Oliver's lips echoed off the walls. Oliver sucked in a painful breath, his body shaking from pain that he almost missed the sound of the handcuff clattering to the concrete floor, freeing him from his situation. "I just dislocated thumbs. Useful if getting tied to chair is to become habit."

Anatoly smirked back at Oliver as he watched the seated man cup his hands his chest, his mouth dropped open in pain, the silent cry falling from his lips. "This will hurt little bit" Oliver almost missed Anatoly's words but he felt the pressure back on his thumb, movement back the opposite direction, popping them back into place.

Oliver wasn't sure what hurt the most, dislocating his thumbs or putting them back into place but the overall pain send him over the edge, he rocked back in the chair, his feet lifting off the floor only to slam back into place when Anatoly stepped away, "Son of a bitch!" he cried loudly, glaring at Anatoly as the other man smirked back at him.

"With a bit of practice, you can do yourself." Anatoly shrugged, seemingly undeterred by Oliver's annoyance and pain. Oliver sucked in a few breaths, trying to steady himself even just a little but it didn't help, his whole body seemed to revolt against him.

Oliver leaned over, still in pain, his hands clutched to his chest protectively. His voice dropped to a growl, "Anatoly can't you bring a knife next time! Argh!" It _hurt_. Oliver had had a lot of pain over the last few years but the intense pain that radiated from such a small spot on his body was almost overwhelming. He could have chalked it up to the lack of food and water also. His body was exhausted, at least when he was on the island and with Waller, he got time to sleep and even eat and drink but here he had been strapped to the chair and left alone.

Anatoly watch Oliver for a minute, thinking before he spoke until a bright smile erupted on his face, "Where is fun in that?" He laughed deeply at Oliver, amused by his friends' pain. "My old friend, I thought you dead!" Anatoly held out his hand for Oliver, raising him to his feet unsteadily.

Grunting animalistically, Oliver side-eyed Anatoly as they moved towards the door he had come from minutes earlier. Oliver was right, the rain had been falling for a while, the puddles on the asphalt were wide and deep. Gingerly, Oliver pulled his jacketed closer to his body, trying to keep the cold off his skin. "Well if you hadn't shown up, I probably would be." Oliver wasn't stupid, he knew that if Anatoly hadn't found him it wouldn't have been long before he died, overcome from dehydration and hunger.

Anatoly motioned Oliver towards the car that was waiting for him, god Oliver hoped the heating was on inside. Both men rushed to the car, feeling their clothes starting to soak through with the rain, Oliver just wanted to be inside somewhere warm.

Once inside the back of the car, Anatoly leaned over to driver, speaking in quiet Russian while Oliver rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up but also get feeling back to them after Anatoly had caused him pain. "It's good to see you Oliver. What are you doing in Russia?"

What story could Oliver spin to Anatoly that wouldn't make it sound like complete bullshit? But then Anatoly had been with Oliver on the island for long enough that he knew that this man deserved more than a bullshit story. Oliver shrugged, his hands now rubbing against his chest to try and warm that part of his body up. "I was dumped here by the American Government. It seems they had no use for me anymore."

At the raised eyebrow that Anatoly gave him, Oliver proceeded to retell Anatoly the last few years that he had been left on the island to being picked up and trained to torture by Waller, to how he was taken back to Starling City where he had seen his family and Felicity even though they were threatened if they found out he was alive.

Anatoly just shook his head, "Nothing ever simple with you Oliver Queen." Oliver huffed; he had that right. After everything that happened to him, none of it was simple.

"You're what…a Bratva boss or something?" Oliver had remembered a time on the island that Anatoly had talked about being the Bratva, talked about the brotherhood and how they looked after their own. It was from that moment that Anatoly had called Oliver brother and it was solidified that day that Oliver sacrificed himself for Anatoly and the plane of people that got off the island when he didn't.

Anatoly glanced over Oliver, trying to understand what he was looking for, "Is like captain. So, what do you want Oliver Queen? You saved my life and so I now return the favor."

This stopped Oliver train of thought, what did he really want? He wanted to go home, he wanted to see his family, he _wanted_ to see Tommy and Felicity. "I want…I want to keep my family safe. I can't let my darkness touch their lives. I want to be stronger and that means doing what I need to stay away from them."

Anatoly regarded Oliver for a moment, taking in the young man sitting next to him, because that's what he was. Oliver Queen was a young man, no more than 22 years old, who had been forced to do so many terrible things. Who seemed to honestly believe that he was not good enough to go back to his family, back to the people who loved him.

"I can send you home, you can be _home_ in 3 weeks if you choose. I can give you this chance Oliver. Home to your mother and sister and your Felicity," Oliver glared at Anatoly, he hated when he brought up Felicity to try and get him to do things, it was a trick Anatoly had learned on the island, Oliver's hand instinctively flattening against his pocket where he knew the old picture of Felicity was. "But instead you chose to stay in my town."

Oliver laughed humorously, "To be fair I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter plus I didn't know it was your town-"

But Anatoly cut him off, "Fiecare este o lună și are o latură întunecată pe care nu o arată nimănui niciodată" (Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody) I know why you not want to go home. You think your darkness is for all to see. The Bratva is not for everyone Oliver Queen. Are you positive this is what you want?" Secretly Anatoly hoped that Oliver would say he wanted to run back to his family but the man by his side was stubborn and determined.

"Ma vei ajuta, sau nu?" (Are you going to help me, or not?").

* * *

Felicity sat on the couch, her knee bouncing up and down as she glanced around the living room. Cooper had decided to make himself comfortable on her couch, his feet resting against the coffee table and the TV on some show only he would watch. He was not supposed to be there tonight. Tonight, he was meant to be out with some friends, drinking and smoking. Felicity had decided that tonight was the night.

She had spent the last few months working out her plans, putting away money each week that Cooper would give her, she had organized her bags, a place to stay in the short term. But he wasn't supposed to be there tonight. Why was he there tonight? Swallowing down the fear she had in her throat, she glanced over to Cooper, watching as his phone dropped from her his hands, slipping down his chest to his stomach, a deep snore echoing through the otherwise quiet room.

She waited on bated breath, making sure that he was actually asleep and not just half asleep where he would wake up the minute she moved. But when he didn't move, she stood slowly, her eyes never leaving him until she was in her bedroom, closing the door ever so softly behind her. With a deep breath out, Felicity leaned all her weight against the door, letting her head drop forward. This was harder than she thought it was going to be.

But she would not stop, Cooper had already taken so much from her and now she was going to take it back. Shaking her head clear, she moved towards her wardrobe she rummaged around and found the large backpack she had shoved there weeks ago, already filled with clothes and toiletries and a pair of runners. She had everything she needed, the money she had collected was shoved into a corner of the bag, hidden from sight and she had also stowed her laptop and new phone.

Taking a deep breath, she looked down at what she was wearing, her jeans and runners enough to keep her going, the jumper and jacket to keep her warm. This was her chance and she was going to take it. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Felicity moved from the bedroom, glancing over the couch to find Cooper still asleep, she blew out a breath, each step she took getting her closer to her front door, closer to her freedom.

It was moments, seconds before she had made it to the door, her hand reaching out for the handle, she could feel the freedom, feel the fear leaving her body, the tension of the last 18 months over being in a relationship with someone like Cooper, she almost felt happy. A small smile graced Felicity's lips as her hand come in contact with the door handle, _she was free._

"Where are you going?"

Her heart stopped, her whole body freezing, as though if she didn't move, he wouldn't see her.

"I said, where are you going?" His voice was deeper, closer this time.

Felicity watched as her own hand slipped from the door handle, her freedom slipping away with it, she turned slowly, her tired eyes finding Coopers. She wanted to say something, wanted to hold her ground but she had held on for so long that there wasn't much more that could be possible for her to do now.

Cooper moved closer to Felicity, his hard eyes looking over her, taking in her clothing, her hair, her backpack. And that's when he knew, it was like a switch flicked in his brain and he just _knew_. Narrowing his eyes at her, he was on her in seconds, both his hands holding her arms tightly, bringing her body to his. Cooper's fingers dug into Felicity's arms painfully before he reached for the backpack, ripping it from her back and letting it fall to the ground.

Silence filled the room as they both looked down, the bag had fallen open, her clothes and toiletries scattering around their feet. Cooper saw red, he reached for Felicity once again but this time she fought, she brought her hand up to his face, letting her nails scratch down his cheek, her knee coming up connect with his groin, sending him to the ground in pain for a moment, giving her enough time to rush past him.

Not only over the past few weeks had she been packing her bags but she had also stowed a baseball bat in the house, hiding it somewhere only she knew. And that's where she went, she wasn't going to let Cooper hurt her anymore. She was stronger than that stronger than he ever gave her credit for.

As she rushed past him, Cooper stretched out his hand, finding her ankle easily, he pulled against it, sending her crashing towards the coffee table, her cheek impacting on the corner of the timber.

Pain, that's what she felt, it radiated through her cheek, her eye socket, her head. Groaning Felicity rolled onto her back, holding her face, trying to hold back the tears. But the moment she spent trying to control herself, gave him time enough to get the upper hand and it was only moments before he was straddling her hips, his fists connecting with any part of her body that he could reach.

* * *

Again, he was here again. Tommy couldn't believe it; it was Sunday evening and he was back in this dog awful hospital. So far in his life, he had seen his mother in this hospital and he had seen Felicity in this hospital and how he was back. It was another late-night phone call, thankfully not as late as the last time but this time Laurel was by his side, a helping hand getting him through what was going to come. Hand in hand they moved down the halls of the hospital, nurses rushing around doing their jobs but he knew where he was going. The nurse who called him had already had that conversation with him.

"Are you ok?" Laurel asked gently beside Tommy, her hand resting against his shoulder, eyes searching his quietly. She really didn't know what to say or do but Tommy's best friend was in danger and was hurt and she would be there for him. He nodded, grasping her hand tightly, thankful that she was there for him.

Pushing open the hospital room door, Tommy took in Felicity, her small frame curled under the blanket, holding herself as tightly as she could. Sitting by her side was Detective Lance, his head was down, hands on his crossed legs, he just watched her. "Daddy?" Laurel's voice pulled Quintin's focus up to her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion until he realized that Tommy was standing by her side.

Standing slowly, he made his way to the two, standing by their side, he signed, "Neighbor heard crying late Friday night, went over to check on her and found the door open, called it in…" He glanced back towards where Felicity was sleeping soundly, "This time they said Felicity told them who it was before she passed out. She's been out since then, only woke up about an hour ago…" He turned back towards Tommy and Laurel. "We are going to get this son of a bitch. I promise you that…"

Tommy held out his hand to Lance, needing him to know that he believed him, they shook hands, each holding on for a moment longer, a sort of trust passing between them. Movement from the bed caught their attention, Tommy moved quickest to Felicity's side, taking her all in. As he looked down at her, Tommy noticed her bruised cheek, black eye, split lip an then the bruising that travelled down her chest and under the material of both the blanket and her hospital gown. "Hey, how you doing?" It was a stupid question but Tommy couldn't resist asking.

Felicity tried to smile back at him, tried to show that she was ok but the tears in her eyes broke his heart. "I'm sorry…" she whispered but Tommy shook his head, quietening her down. Slowly Felicity moved to sit up, she knew that Lance was there but she was a little shocked to see Laurel, shocked and ashamed. "Hey…its ok." She nodded, glancing back to Lance.

Felicity knew what was coming next, the questions and the explanations. She had to tell them, she had to have Cooper found and out of her life forever. Gripping Tommy's hand tightly, Felicity motioned for Lance to sit down, "I know what comes next…" was all she said. Barely registering that Laurel had left the room, Felicity swallowed deeply, beginning at the start of her story.

"Friday night, I had planned to leave. Cooper wasn't meant to be at my apartment, he'd talked about going out with friends and so that was the night I was going to walk away. I'd packed a bag, put money away, set up a new phone and collected my laptop but as I was leaving, he'd woken up on the couch and saw me heading for the door." Lance wrote things down, asking questions about the time it had started. Felicity spoke about how he had lost it, pulling her away from the door, ripping her bag off her shoulder before shoving her back towards the middle of the room, he was keeping her as far away from the front door as possible.

With shaking hands, she spoke about him hitting her, about him pushing her against the glass table and the wall, feeling her ribs crack and her muscles ache. How she'd tried to scream but he'd kept his hand over her mouth, making sure she wouldn't be heard. It was about an hour before she was done talking, Lance asking a few more questions but he mostly let her talk her way through what had happened.

Tommy had stayed quiet the whole time, his hand tightening around her own every now and then, both in a show of support and in an effort to hold his own anger in. But even after everything she had said, he could not stop himself from asking the one question he knew he really shouldn't. This was not Felicity's fault, she was the victim but Tommy had always tried to show her that he was there for her, that he was by her side. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you leave and come to me?"

He was angry, angry at the situation, angry and Cooper, angry at himself. He knew he should have pushed harder with her; he should have made sure that she was ok and that he was there no matter how much she pushed him away.

Felicity knew why he was asking, Tommy wasn't blaming her for her situation, he was blaming himself and so she reached out to touch his face, trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. "Tommy…" she glanced towards Lance, "The last time I was here," she was talking about the night he was woken up to come to the hospital, the same night that Felicity had told both Tommy and Lance that everything was ok.

"About 3 months before that, I'd found out that Cooper had transferred all of my things into his name, my car, my phone, my apartment and even my pay from QC. He had been able to hack into the systems and set up alerts that he would get when I used my card or my phone." She sighed, rubbing her face gently with her free hand, "He found out I changed it back and lost it. Tommy, he has _everything." _She needed to enforce that fact to him, she wasn't just scared of him but he had taken everything from her.

Lance sighed, physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse – this guy had it in spades and Lance was going to find him. "We'll find him, I promise you that Felicity. But for now, do you have somewhere you can stay?" he knew she couldn't go back to her apartment, not until Cooper had been found but he didn't want her going to a hotel for an unknown amount of time.

"Yeah, we have a guest room or two, Felicity you can stay with me." Tommy had already spoken before she could and it was clear that he had already made up his mind, "Please don't fight me on this Felicity. I should have been there for you; I should have fought you more on what was happening and I didn't and now you are here. So please, he won't be able to get into the manor and you will be safe and I won't have to worry about you."

Lance looked towards Tommy, regarding him for a moment. This was the man that was dating his daughter, this was the man that had fallen in love with her and considering how he grew up and the stupid things he and Oliver used to get up to and considering his youngest daughter Sara had taken off and disappeared, Tommy had come a long way. He was fiercely protective of Felicity and it was something that Lance had to admire. "That's probably not a bad idea, just until we get some more information on where he might be."

Felicity nodded to Lance and Tommy, there was no fighting them on this and if she were being honest with herself, Felicity didn't really feel like going home to an empty house right now. And so, she would stay with Tommy, for the time being. "I'll go and get your things from your place,"

Tommy looked over at Lance, who nodded, "Yeah we are done there now, it's all yours…" Tommy nodded again, heading back out the door with one last squeeze of Felicity's hand, just sitting outside the doorway though, Tommy found Laurel, waiting patiently for him. But one look at her face told him that she had heard it all, from Felicity's story to his idea of having her stay with him. She reached out her hand for his, smiling tightly at him before they moved towards the car, both getting ideas of what Felicity would need.

The drive to Felicity's apartment didn't take long, Tommy and Laurel spoke about what they would collect, what she would want or need and Tommy suddenly realized that it was a good thing that Laurel was there, he hadn't thought of the many things she had and so he knew he would let Laurel attack Felicity's bedroom and bathroom, making sure she had everything she needed.

All it took was two flights of stairs and they were at her front door, talking amongst themselves, neither heard the sound of the TV coming from inside as they opened the door but as they came to stand inside her apartment, it was clear that they were not alone. Instantly Tommy stood in front of Laurel, his hand shooting back behind him, putting it protectively on her hip, Cooper eyeing them directly. Cooper could tell that Tommy knew what was happening and Tommy could tell that Cooper was sizing him up, wondering what they playboy would do. "Laurel, go to the bedroom, get what she needs and I'll come and get you."

Tommy's voice was soft but hard, speaking directly to Laurel but his eyes never left Cooper's. Laurel ducked her head and made her way towards the hallway, rushing past Cooper who kept his eyes on Tommy. Behind him, Tommy turned to lock the door, waiting to hear Laurel close Felicity's door before he moved towards Cooper, stalking him like prey.

Cooper to his merit, holds his stare on Tommy daring him to do something, no doubt expecting the other man to just be bluffing. But Tommy wasn't, in an instant Tommy rushed towards Cooper, shoulder charging him into the coffee table, hearing it crack and shatter around them. It was only seconds before he had landed the first two punches on Cooper's face, feeling the cracking of bone under the force of the connected.

Cooper struggled against Tommy, they were about the same size but Tommy was full of rage, thinking about all the times that he had touched Felicity, all the times he had hurt her. Anger was driving him, rage and fury behind every swing of his arm. Copper as somehow able to push Tommy off him, sending him flying backwards towards the open space, before charging at Tommy himself, sending them both crashing into the wall behind them, the prints on the wall banging before crashing to the ground, the glass shattering into pieces.

All that could be heard through Felicity's apartment was grunting, furniture crashing and the connecting of fits and bodies. Some would assume that there was two people having sex in the apartment but the blood dripping from Cooper's mouth, nose and eyebrow would tell a different story. After what felt like forever, Tommy finally had Cooper unconscious on the floor, his face bloodied and bruised, Tommy's own fists sore and raw.

With a deep huff and panting, Tommy pushed himself off the limp body of Cooper and made his way to Felicity's bedroom, there he took hold of a few of the bags that Laurel had packed, she carried the rest and without a word being spoken since they had walked into the apartment, Tommy and Laurel left, Cooper still passed out on the floor in the middle of the living room. Broken glass, furniture and ornaments scattered all around the room.

**Please Review :D **


	16. Home

**Please enjoy the new chapter, i know the world is falling apart at the moment, so i hope makes your day a little better**

**Someone pointed out that my translations from the last chapter weren't Russian - apologise I must have used the wrong one. It was supposed to be Russia – the English mean was supposed to be the same though.**

**Chapter 16 - Home**

Anatoly stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Oliver bracing against the next punch, the next kick and the next swing of a weapon. It amazing him how quickly he had gotten better at his fighting, yes whatever US Agency had him before he turned up in Russia had trained him well enough but Anatoly had made sure that over the last few months Oliver had become the best he could be.

That was for many reasons really, the main was that the other captains in the Russian Mafia didn't trust the outsider, they didn't trust Oliver. Anatoly was about his only friend while in Russia and that suited Oliver just fine, he didn't have to pretend to trust people and he knew exactly who he could trust.

Anatoly.

Anatoly had brought him in, given him a home, food, clean clothes. Oliver owed him his life but Anatoly felt different about that fact.

"_This way, we even. You save my life, I save yours." Anatoly motioned for Oliver to enter the small apartment. After springing him, Anatoly had offered to give Oliver a life in Russia, set him up with a house and some money. To get him started in this dark world. _

_But it didn't take long until Oliver was spending more and more time with Anatoly, getting to know what the man did for a living. _

_Bratva. _

_The Russian Mafia. _

_It took a lot of convincing from Oliver to have Anatoly let him join, not that Oliver wanted to join the Mafia but he was an American in Russia, alone and jobless. He felt like it was the way that would keep him the safest in a country that didn't trust him. _

_Sitting in a room, across from 4 men larger men, Oliver was larger though, and Anatoly. The man sitting next to Anatoly spoke first. "What does Bratva mean to you?" Thankfully Anatoly had requested them to speak English. Oliver's Russian was coming along but not enough to have a conversation with these people. _

_Taking a deep breath, Oliver straightened himself, "Brotherhood."_

"_Brotherhood?" The man nodded as he watched Oliver. "Means family. Who are yours?"_

_Oliver faltered for a second, he didn't want to think about his family, he missed his family but he didn't want to think about them anymore, "My father is dead…My mother and sister-"_

_He was cut off by another man sitting opposite him, "Both dead. Bratva only know their brothers. Do you know what I mean by this?"_

_Oliver nodded, "I have no family; I have no home. I have no name. Ya Bratva (I am Bratva)"_

_Anatoly stood instantly, reaching towards Oliver for a hug, "My Bratva (We are Bratva). Dobro pozhalovat'… Kapot (Welcome…Hood)._

_Less than a second later, Anatoly threw a punch at Oliver, sending him crashing the ground. Oliver as getting really, really tired of this. _

_Coming to, Oliver shot up from the cold concrete, "Gde ya? (Where am i?) Что это? Я думал, что меня берут обратно в братву! (Where am i? I thought I was being recruited into the Bratva!)" He looked around the room, finding only himself, 3 men in balaclava's and 3 other men, each of them looking around, just as confused as him, he roared, "GDE YA? (WHERE AM I?)_

"_звенит звонок" (Ring the bell)" The man at the furthest end pressed a timer, 2 minutes and counting_

_And the men were off, setting pace with each other, trying to scramble across the wet concrete, punches were thrown, bodies colliding with the other Bratva members, Oliver watched as the time ran out, one last body being flipped before they were ordered back to the line, "звенит звонок" (Ring the bell)" echoing again. _

_This continued, Oliver joining in, losing rounds, bleeding lips and bruised ribs, his body was aching from the pain and the fighting but he needed to pass this, he needed to keep himself safe. It didn't take long before he began to realise that they would not make the bell alone, they had to work together. _

_And so that's what they did, each other fighting along-side the other, pulling the fighters from the middle of the room, grunting and groaning as kicks were landed and weapons were drawn and used. In a flick of the wrist, the knife that was headed Oliver's way was bent out of the man's hand, his cries filling the space, Oliver flipping the man over his shoulder to give himself time. _

_And time he had, he had 3 seconds to make the bell, he lunged, stretched and held his breath as the sound of the ringing broke out in the room, each of the men standing and looking towards Oliver and then the timer. Which had stopped with less than a second to go. _

_Silence filled the room, the only sounds were the heavy breaths of all 6 men, the pain in their bodies radiating, aching and waiting to see if Oliver had made it. After a moment more of silence, the man to the side spoke, "Dobro pozhalovat'v Bratvu (Welcome to Bratca)" Before he raised his gun, pulling the trigger and landing a shot in the middle of the head of the two other men that fought along-side Oliver. _

_He cried out, that was not meant to happen, they weren't supposed to die because he had hit the bell first. Sucking in even deeper breaths, Oliver barely noticed Anatoly placing his hand on his back and leading him from the room. _

But now, after the months of training and growing, Anatoly knew it was time for Oliver to go home. His own home, back to Starling City. He had gotten some inside information that Anatoly had debated telling Oliver, but he knew how much the younger man loved his city and wanted to make sure it stayed safe. And the info he had, told him that Starling City was not safe.

Bringing his bottom lip into his mouth, Anatoly let out a loud whistle, calling the attention of Oliver and the three men he was fighting. "Oliver…" Anatoly reached out to Oliver, placing his hand on his back as they walked from the mats in the training room. Stopping just short of the doorway, Anatoly turned towards Oliver.

"What's wrong Anatoly?" Oliver knew something was up the minute Anatoly walked into the room, he could sense the change in the older man's emotions. Bringing up the bottom of his sweat covered shirt, Oliver wiped the sweat from his forehead and waited.

Anatoly signed, "I have heard rumour, of Starling City…" This caught Oliver's attention, what could the rumour be? Did something happen to his mother? To Thea? To Tommy and Felicity? Oliver scrunched his brow, a million thoughts running through his head.

"You remember Vertigo?" Oliver's face froze, Vertigo was the drug that had parts being produced on the island, the same drug that was being manufactured in Starling City – which apparently was the hub of all distribution in the USA. "It is back and much more dangerous. Rumour is that it is now being completely produced in Starling City, the police and the wealthy are in on it."

This made Oliver's stomach drop, the drug was back, all the efforts he had gone to on the island, all the people he had killed to stop it from being imported to the shore of the States was now pointless. "How long?" How long had it been running rampant in his city?

"It was quick to pick up after you destroyed the island. Someone named The Count has taken over, we are told that it is stronger, more dangerous now. And not just in pill form. Oliver sighed deeply, following Anatoly from the room towards another room, one that Oliver had just ignored while he had been in the compound. Inside the room was a table and, on the table, sat a simple, large wooden trunk. A trunk that Oliver recognised instantly. _Where did Anatoly find this?_

"How did you find this?" Oliver had thought that the box, his bow and quiver and hood had been lost forever after he was taken from the island. Waller had given him a bow and quiver to use while he was 'working' for her, but it didn't feel the same, it didn't have the same weight or the same grooves in it. It did its job; Oliver was good enough that he didn't _need_ his own weapons to be good at what he did.

Anatoly just smirked, "I have my ways…" But then he became serious, his face straightened, "Oliver, they have not regrown the plantation on the island. Some connections of mine gave me information. Whatever is being made for the Vertigo – it is being made in Startling City."

Oliver nodded at the new information, "That means it's now being synthesised. It's more potent now. Its more dangerous." This time it was Anatoly who nodded. A synthesised drug was much more dangerous than one with naturally grown ingredient. Oliver was running out of time staying away from his home town and they both knew it.

"What do you want to do?" Anatoly watched as Oliver ran his hands over the long wooden box, lifting the lid slowly to reveal his bow and hood that You Fe had handed down to him. Anatoly couldn't be serious? He couldn't go home; he couldn't go back to his family after everything he had done. He was a danger to them and to everyone else in the city.

But maybe the latter was the point. He could be a danger to the people in his city that were causing trouble. Reaching in with his right hand, Oliver lifted the bow into the air, bringing it to his eye level.

He had learned so much because of this weapon. He had learned how to be more accurate and faster than any land creature on the island. Would that be enough for him to chase down a person? Could he do this? Could he become a force to be reckoned with? Could he become a vigilante to save his city? Could he become something else?

* * *

"Are you sure you are going to be ok?" Tommy worried about Felicity, he didn't want to leave her alone but as he watched Felicity look back at him, he sighed. "Alright, alright." He threw up his hands, pushing off the door frame he had been leaning on.

Felicity shook her head, smirking at him, "Tommy, I love you _but_ I don't need you to baby sit me. I'm not scared of staying home alone _we _just decided that until Cooper was found that it was just safer for me to be here." She motioned to the bedroom that she had claimed as her own in Tommy's mansion almost 6 months ago.

After she had been released from the hospital, Tommy had told her that it was not safe to go home just yet, that Cooper was there and that the SCPD would be picking him up in a matter of minutes. At least that's what they thought.

Laurel had called her father, telling him that Cooper was unconscious on the living room floor waiting for the police to pick him up. But when Lance had gotten there, Cooper had vanished, clearly having woken up he realised that the police weren't far away. After a long argumentative discussion between Tommy, Felicity and Lance, Felicity had reluctantly agreed to stay with Tommy until Cooper was found.

She just didn't realise that it would be more than 6 months later that she was still waiting. Cooper had seemingly vanished off the face of the earth, even Felicity wasn't able to track him down using all her computer abilities. She really wasn't scared of him coming for her again but at the same time she didn't know what he was capable of and it was safer for her to be somewhere that was harder to get to.

Truthfully, she also enjoyed the company, having Tommy around meant she had someone to talk to after work, someone to laugh with and eat with, she knew that Tommy had Laurel but it took a little of the loneliness away from Felicity.

Tommy rarely stayed by her side every night and it wasn't like she couldn't sleep or had nightmares – well anymore that is – but being in such a big house it would be harder for him to get to her if he tried. But as she sat there watching Tommy, she was really starting to think it was time for her to go home.

"Hey before you go…I think it's time I go home. Like my home, my apartment home." Tommy's eyebrows raised, a little shocked. They hadn't talked about Felicity going home, it just hadn't been mentioned at all and so hearing her mention it now was a shock. "It's just…it's been 6 months and he hasn't even surfaced. I think I'm safe Tommy. I want to go _home."_

Tommy nodded before moving into the bedroom, taking a seat by her side. "Are you sure?" He wanted to make sure this was something she really wanted.

But she smiled, "Yes Tommy. I need to go home and get my life back together and you need to be able to spend time with Laurel – here." Tommy had made a point of not bringing Laurel by the mansion, he didn't want Felicity to feel like the third wheel but also he knew that as much as Laurel wanted to help Felicity after everything that happened, seeing Felicity was a constant reminder of Oliver and how in her eyes, he was a better person around Felicity.

And so, Tommy had only spent time at Laurel's apartment.

He nodded again, reaching out for a hug. "Give me a couple of weeks and we I get back from Gotham we can start to organise getting you settled back into your place. I just want to make sure. Please…" He just needed time to make sure her place was ok. He was going to get professional cleaners through it. Not only to try and remove the reminders of Cooper but her apartment hadn't been lived in for 6 months. _It needed a clean_. Thankfully Felicity had agreed, giving him the time, he needed to feel comfortable with her going back to her apartment.

"Now go!" Felicity laughed, pushing him from the bed, "You gotta get on your flight to Gotham and I know that it's a private jet and it can wait for you, but you can't just hang around here. It's not the first time you've gone away for a few days, or a week, and it won't be the last." Tommy smiled, reaching for her instantly for a hug goodbye before slinging his bag over his shoulder before leaving the mansion.

* * *

Tommy had barely gotten to the airport for his flight when his phone rang. He was running late so normally he would have ignored it, gotten on the flight and just called the person back but as he looked down, he was shocked to see Thea's name pop up. She didn't call him anymore and when she did, she was either drunk or high and needed lift.

But it was almost

Her sobbing stopped him in his tracks. "Thea what's wrong?" Tommy's whole body shook as he waited for a reply, what the hell was happening?

She babbled and sobbed some more the only works he could make out were "_Ollie_" and "_Alive_"

"Thea, I need you to calm down, take a deep breath for me." He listened as she did, instructing her to take 3 more deep breaths before asking her again, "What is going on?"

"_They found him Tommy…Ollie he's alive…"_

Tommy's face paled, the captain watching his closely as his bag slipped from his shoulder. "Where is he?" Was all he could ask.

"_Mom is bringing him home Tommy. Please, you have to come here. Now." _And that was all it took for Tommy and rush back down the stairs of the plane, straight into the car that still hadn't left the tarmac, instructing the driver to head straight to the Queen mansion.

* * *

Oliver took a deep breath as he waited his mother to open the front door. He had to play it as though he hadn't been in the middle of civilisation for almost a year but standing there, on his door step, staring at the large wooden door he found himself missing, he smiled. _He was home._

Inside that door was his sister and Raisa and his bedroom and all the memories - good and bad – that had kept Oliver alive while he was on the island, the things he craved most, until Waller had gotten her hands on him.

He hadn't prepared himself for the overwhelming feeling of being back, something he never thought he would have felt considering the things he had done, he felt like he didn't deserve to be home, but here he was. _Home._

Placing his trunk on the floor, thankful that so far no one had what was in it or how he even got it considering he was supposed to be on a deserted island for 3 years, Oliver took a good look after, most things hadn't changed since he had gone, the house smelled the same, looked the same, felt the same. Slowly he placed his hands in his pocket, feeling a little unsure of himself, a feeling he hadn't felt since before Russia.

"Your room is exactly how you left it. I never had the heart to change a thing." Moira's voice caught his attention, he turned to look at her, giving her a small smile as he did, thankful that at least something was going to be familiar to him.

But that was when he heard a door slam upstairs and the sound of footsteps echoed through the usually quiet house. He knew the sound of that door closing.

_Thea. _

Rounding towards the staircase, Oliver smiled as he heard the tell tail sign of Thea coming down the stairs, her feet were heavier than they were years ago but when she appeared in front of him, he couldn't help losing the smile on his face. Looking up at her, he honestly couldn't believe how much she had grown.

Her hair was longer, she was taller, thinner, more makeup but the same smile as he remembered in his dreams. Coming to a stop in front of the stairs, Thea all but launched herself in to his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck, his around her waist. Oliver was quick to bury his face into her shoulder, breathing in her scent. _He had missed her so much_. "Hey sis…"

"I knew it. I knew you were alive…" Was her mumble back to him. He held her tightly, not really wanting to let her go.

"Mr. Merlyn is on his way here. He will be joining us for dinner…" That voice pulled Oliver away from Thea, he turned to find Raisa standing by the doorway, a bright smile on her face when saw really looked at Oliver. "Mr. Oliver. It's so good to see you…" Then Oliver hugged her too, bringing the shorter woman to his chest, both laughing as they hugged.

Moira smiled as she watched Oliver greeting his family, the people who were closest to him. "Wonderful, we can get dinner started soon then." Moira was about to turn away but Oliver caught her.

"Mum will you make sure to invite Felicity as well? I'd really like to see her and Tommy tonight." The strained look on Moira's face was not missed by Oliver, he scrunched his face up in question as to why it would be a problem for Felicity to be there.

Moira looked over to Raisa who dropped her head and Thea who just looked away before looking back at Oliver, all emotion slipping from her face, "She had moved out of Starling dear. I don't know how to contact her anymore." With that Moira moved towards the dining room, ready to plan out the seating arrangement.

At this point, Thea and Raisa also moved away, leaving Oliver very confused as to why Felicity would move away. He tried to check in occasionally with his family and friends but nothing had told him that she had moved away. It was something he would have to talk to Tommy about when he got there.

Reaching down, he pulled his trunk up the stairs before moving towards his bedroom door. He hesitated I the doorway for a moment. The room was huge, nothing like he was used to over the last few years. He was used to a single mattress and a small room, barely any light. But this room, his room, had a king size bed, desk, walk in robe, bathroom, fireplace and so much space that he would be able to run a full workout in there with no problems.

"Oliver, Son…" he turned at the sound of a deep British accent. The dark-skinned man standing behind him. "It's damn good to see you…" But Oliver's lack of reaction made the man continue, "It's Walter, Walter Steele." Oliver nodded and reached out his hand for the man, shaking it tightly. Walter Steele was his father's best friend; he was a little shocked to see Walter in his house.

Turning back, Oliver looked around his room again, before placing the trunk at the foot of his bed, he didn't want to try and hide it while Walter was there, he didn't want to bring anymore suspicion to the trunk as it was. Turning back, he found Walter had left him alone in his room. Alone with his thoughts and alone with his plans.

* * *

Moira was just setting up for dinner, Thea and Oliver were already seated around the table, chatting and laughing away but she knew that Tommy would be moments away from turning up at the front door and so she had pre-empted his arrival, making sure to catch him before he saw Oliver.

And she was right, seconds later, there was a sharp, heavy knock at the front door, opening it, she found Tommy standing here, his eyes red and he looked tired. "Is it really him?" Was all he could get out as he made his way into the entry, ready to rush straight to where he could hear Oliver laughing with Thea.

That was a sound he would never give up for the world.

But Moira stopped him, her hand on his arm, "You cannot mention Felicity. Do you understand?" Tommy gawked at her, _What the hell was she talking about? Oliver will want to see Felicity and Felicity will want to see him. _"Thomas, if he asks, she has moved and you don't know where she is."

He shook his head, "Why would I lie to him?"

But her face hardened, "You know what happened in this family because of that girl. I don't want her near this family. Do you understand."

"What happened wasn't her fault-"

"I am asking you, do not tell Oliver that she is still in Starling. I just got my son back and I will not allow any more pain in his life." And with that she moved towards the dining room entrance, a smile plastered on her face, "And now we can eat dinner…" Moira's voice echoed through the dining hall as she walked through the doorway, Tommy following behind.

* * *

Dinner was looking to be an interesting affair, Moira had promised to keep it small, talking about planning something bigger in the next few weeks once he was brought back from the dead. Oliver would do what he needed to, to please his mother and keep up the illusion that he was still the same old Oliver.

Oliver, Walter and Thea were already seated around the table, Moira had left the room moments ago and now they were just waiting on Tommy to arrive. That made him nervous, Tommy was his best friend since he could ever remember and so seeing him again after the last 3 years was starting to eat at him.

Truthfully, he was excited to see Tommy, he'd missed his best friend so much, the small eat up photo of the three of them that was now placed inside his crisp new wallet was the only thing that kept him going over the years.

He was also interested in finding out where Felicity had gone. It was clear something had happened over the last 12 months, considering he had seen her in Starling when he was sent by Waller but no one seemed to want to talk about it. That was going to be one of the first questions he would ask of Tommy.

"And now we can eat dinner…" Moira's voice echoed through the dining hall as she walked through the doorway, Tommy following behind.

Oliver stood instantly, rushing towards his best friend, embracing him tightly. "Tommy…" The two hugged other tightly, "I've missed you man!"

Tommy held Oliver tightly, he couldn't believe his best friend was back, he was alive and well. "What did I tell you – yachts suck…" With one more tight hug, "I can't believe it. When Thea called me-" he shook his head as he pulled back from the hug, looking over his friends' face and body. "Jesus man, look at you. What happened?" Tommy wanted to mention his new body but the words died in his mouth, not sure if that's something he really should mention

But Oliver knew what was coming, he laughed, "Yeah well, had to chase a lot of food so lots of running, climbing and swimming." It was true, he did do a lot of that, just also a lot of extra training at all other times of the day, on and off the island.

Before heading down to dinner, after coming home from the hospital, Oliver had sat down on his bed, he started to set a plan, how much he was going give in terms of information, how he was going to act, how much of the old Oliver he was going to play up. Deciding that Tommy and his sister deserved to have at least some part of their old Oliver back, he would show them the face he wanted to. Giving information but keeping it vague. Hopefully enough to keep them happy.

Laughing Oliver and Tommy moved towards the table, each taking a seat next to each other, Oliver glancing around the table, a part of himself truly happy to be back with his family.

As dinner continued, Oliver was asked questions about the things he missed, the food he wanted to eat and the things he wanted to do now that he was back as well as the things he missed, "Superbowl – Giants, Steelers, Saints. Man, you missed so good games!" Tommy laughed, rattling off states and information that he thought would be important to Oliver.

But Oliver cut in, finally needing to ask the one question he had been holding onto, "Have you heard from Felicity?" The table stilled, Oliver knew something was up, he could read a room almost the instant he got into it and this was no different. From the minute Tommy had walked in, the room was different.

Tommy thought for a moment, he really didn't want to lie to Oliver, that was not how he wanted to start off now that he had his friend back but Moira had made it very clear that he was not to say anything about Felicity. "Ah, she moved away man, your funeral was hard on her."

_Lie _

"I haven't heard from her in since." Tommy couldn't look at Oliver as he spoke, focusing instead on his plate.

_Lie. _

Oliver couldn't help but hear the word screamed inside his own head. He knew for a fact that Felicity had been in Starling after his 'funeral' but he could not say that. Instead he just nodded, his mind racing as to what could be going on that they would lie about where Felicity was. He zoned out the conversations from that moment on, nodding and smiling when it seemed appropriate but showed no interest in actually talking. Just like always, Felicity was the only thing on his mind.

**YAY! Oliver is home! :D **


	17. Are You Real?

**So this chapter pretty much set up this whole story – I originally had this planned and I've written around this chapter. **

**This should clean up some of the question you've all had, especially after the last chapter. Sorry I took forever to post this, its been finished for about 4 days and I've just been sitting on it. **

**I have a few assessments and exams coming up this week and next so the next update may not come as quick as I would like but I promise more will come! **

**Please review :D **

**Chapter 17 – Are You Real?**

"So, what's new in the world of Thomas Merlyn?" Oliver sat in the passenger side of Tommy's Porsche, watching the world go by around him. This was the first time he'd actually made it outside without someone hanging off him, whether it be Thea or his mother. He was finally happy to just be spending time with his best friend.  
Tony smirked, so much had happened but then at the same time, so much had happened. Between his father disappearing again, Felicity's crazy ex situation and his relationship with Laurel, he didn't really know where to start.

Felicity's situation was not his to tell, although Tommy had long decided that she needed to tell Oliver about what happened, if for nothing else, just to make sure if Cooper ever did decide to come back, he wouldn't be shocked.

Laurel was a different story, how do you tell your best friend, who you thought had died but has now come back from the dead, that you are in a committed relationship with his ex-girlfriend, whose sister he had slept with and who had now disappeared. "I'm sure there has been a parade of woman since my funeral?" He laughed, hoping to make light of the situation.

Tommy threw his head back, laughing, "Oh it was like shooting fish in a barrel man!" Oliver shook his head; Tommy was terrible but he was no surprised in the slightest. "Nah man, it's been good man…" he waited, thinking if he should mention Laurel. "I'm seeing someone actually…"

That caught Oliver's attention, his head shooting up, "Wow, Tommy Merlyn boyfriend? I'm shocked!" He laughed, but smiled back at Tommy, "Anyone I know?" It was unlikely, it had been 3 years, who knows who he had met in that time.

But Tommy decided to give Oliver a little truth, "Yeah actually you do know her but it's still pretty early so once I know what we are doing, then I'll let you know." Well it was kind of the truth; he and Laurel had been together for a while but Tommy just wasn't ready to tell Oliver that.

Oliver seemed to take that information, happy enough for his best friend. Turning away from Tommy, Oliver looked back out the window, wondering who he knows that might have caught his attention but then they turned into QC, Oliver planning on meeting his mother to sign a few documents before seeing the judge in a few days. But Oliver had an ulterior motive, he remembered that Felicity had been doing her internship there and he wanted to see if anyone knew where she had moved to.

* * *

Something had been going on around QC all day, everyone seemed to almost be on edge but at the same time, excited. Felicity didn't really care though; she didn't have time to care if she was being honest. She wanted to do her work and go home and she had a lot of work to do, and it was only 11.30am on a Monday morning. She already just wanted to melt into a tub of mint chip and forget about the world.

It was coming up to Oliver's birthday, which meant the she and Tommy tried to spend a bit more time together than they had been, trying to do something that they knew that Oliver would have liked but QC would always be a little more sombre than usual, everyone feeling uneasy around anyone from the family. The sober feeling hit her more than most around the building, although no one really knew that, she hid it well. She just wished she could spend time with Thea as well.

Ah Thea.

Felicity sighed. That poor girl had struggled so much since losing her brother and then her father. She had been there for her - they'd gotten incredibly close for a while there but she still struggled, even developing a drug addiction. It had been hard for them all. Felicity had watched her from a distance, keeping an eye on any media articles that might have come out about her, wiping them from the internet as soon as they popped up. It was the least she could do.

"Felicity Smoak? I'm Oliver Queen." _Oh, that voice,_ that soft, gentle voice she had wished to hear again. Spinning in her seat, Felicity came face to face with her past, a distant memory of what _he_ may have looked like if he was still around. Felicity blinked at him, red pen sitting in between her fingers, her mouth opening and closing as she watched him. Did she fall asleep at her desk and she was dreaming about him? It wouldn't be the first time, actually she dreamed about Oliver most nights of the week.

_His hair was shorter._

"Well you did always tell me how much you hated it long..." Oliver smiled back at her, his hands clasped in front of his, just waiting for her to speak. But it was only silence that filled the space, Felicity just taking in the vision in front of her. She had groaned a little when she realised, she'd said it out loud but she didn't care, Felicity just wanted to bask in him standing there. She liked this dream.

Movement beside Oliver caught his attention instantly, turning to the side, looking back at a man by his side. "Oh Mr. Queen. Welcome to the IT department, I had heard you were in the building. Welcome back, Arthur James." Felicity blinked as she watched Oliver shake her bosses' hand. This was becoming the strangest dream she'd ever had with Oliver involved.

"Nice to meet you Mr. James. Please call me Oliver. Mr. Queen was my father."

Arthur smiled back at Oliver before looking towards Felicity, who hadn't kept her eyes off Oliver, her mouth still open, eyes wide, to the outside world she looked like a school girl seeing her crush, a deer caught in headlights. Arthur spoke quickly, trying to cover up the embarrassment that was Felicity Smoak. "I'm sorry Oliver. You'll have to forgive Ms. Smoak, I don't know what has gotten into her." He had noticed that she hadn't moved, clearly to her boss, he thought she was star struck with Oliver, like every other woman on the floor. "Felicity!"

The sound of his loud voice pulled Felicity from her thoughts, her small cubical had started to become a little more crowded, with others from her department - mostly the woman - had come to see Oliver Queen, who was here, standing in her space, staring at her with the same soft eyes he always did. By this stage, her whole department was standing by her cubicle, their heads popped up over the edges of her wall.

This dream had added a few bonus' to her image of Oliver, his chest and shoulders were much broader than she ever remembered. But for everything she was looking at and ever dream she'd ever had of him being back in her life, his hair was short. It was never short in her dreams; it was always long and horrible - just like she remembered.

"Felicity, this is very inappropriate. I am so sorry Oliver." Her boss tired again. Becoming increasingly frustrated that his employee was staring at the previous CEOs son.

"Your hair is short..." She finally spoke, her voice was loud, shocked. A little more conviction than she gave before. The only words out of her mouth. He smiled at her, watching as the realisation flashed over her face. "Your hair is short…" That was all she could say, the only words that would fall from her lips.

The crowd had increased in size, each of them wanting to get a chance to look or talk to Oliver but Felicity didn't notice, all she saw was _him. _Suddenly, Felicity pushed her chair back from her desk, rushing around the side of her desk and launched herself into his arms, Oliver catching her instantly, his arms wrapping around her waist as his face buried in her neck.

There were gasps and sounds of shock around the two, Mr James was appalled at Felicity's action. "Ms Smoak, what do you think you are doing?" But Oliver just held her closer, feeling her shudder against him as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh god, I've missed you…" His voice filled her ears, the words over and over again, words she would want to hear every minute of every day. Slowly he placed her back on the floor, a watery smile pulling at his lips as he looked down at her.

Felicity blinked away the tears, still ignoring her boss who just seemed to not understand that she had known Oliver in the past. She touched his face, his cheeks, his eyes and his lips, "Are you real?" and he nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck once more. "Oliver Queen, don't you ever do that to me again!" He laughed at her, nodding his head. Her hand slipped up to his hair, feeling just how short it was. Something tugged at Oliver when she did that, a distance feeling and memory.

Pulling away from each other, Felicity started to realise that they were surrounded by co-workers and her boss. Straightening her back, Felicity took a step back from Oliver, but he didn't want to let go of her hand. "I'm sorry Mr. James, Felicity and I knew each other – before…" Oliver didn't even bother looking back at her boss, his eyes trained only on her. "Am I able to steal Felicity for lunch?"

He really didn't even wait for Mr. James to answer, he just reached for her hand and pulled her towards the elevator. Felicity followed silently; her eyes trained on him the whole time. She couldn't believe he was real; couldn't believe he was there. After 3 years without him in her life, he was back.

Alive.

It didn't take long until they were seated at a small table on the outdoors seating areas of a café, the sun was shining around them. Felicity just watched him, watched him smile at her, watched him as he ordered some a jug of water. There as a part of her that still believed this was a dream.

"You're blonde now?" Oliver's voice cut through her thoughts, causing Felicity to shake her head. Oliver had noticed her staring at him, but at the same time he couldn't stop looking at her either. She had grown up over the last 3 years, she was still the same, beautiful and bright but she had grown, matured but still as beautiful as ever.

Felicity blushed a little, the memory of why she was now blonde flashed in her mind, pushing it away, letting herself smile at the fact that he realised. Although brunette to blonde hair isn't hard to miss. "Oh yeah…I needed a change." She shrugged, hoping he didn't ask to many questions.

His smile widened, he loved the blonde on her, "I love it. It looks amazing on you."

Her blush deepened, it wasn't the first time that Oliver had given her a compliment but this was 3 years in the making, the voice she longed to hear after so long. Laughing, she played it off, "And here I thought brunettes were Ollie Queen's type."

Oliver huffed a short laugh, shaking his own head as he looked down for a moment, contemplating his next words. "Yeah well…I'm not sure Ollie Queen really exists anymore..." Felicity tilted her head to the side, taking him in for a moment.

He was different, of course he was different. 3 years on an isolated island, everyone thinking he was dead, not knowing if he'd ever make it back to his family. But he had also changed behind his eyes, he was darker now, more pained. Felicity could always read Oliver Queen like an open book, she knew him better than anyone else in the world, so seeing the change in his eyes scared her a little. But again, having to fend for himself would have been enough to harden anybody.

And then there was his body. Oliver Queen always had an amazing body, he had always been skinny but fit and he knew he looked good. All the times he was shirtless going into the pool or how he just knew how girls looked at him. But now, the way his Henley shirt pulled against his chest, stretching over his arms when he moved. Oliver was _toned. _She could only imagine the muscles that were under that shirt. Did he have abs? Was his back as muscly as his front?

Realising that she was staring, Felicity flashed her eyes back up to his face, that stupid smirk he held for her was back on his face. He had noticed her staring at him. "Shut up! I still don't know if I believe that this isn't a dream. Usually you don't interact with other people in my dreams…"

Oh no. She shouldn't have said that.

Oliver jumped on that instantly, "So you dream about me huh? Is that something new or did you always dream about me?" Oh, how she hated him. She really wanted to slap that smirk off his face.

Reaching over, Felicity slapped his arm, "Funny." But she shrugged, "It was always just hearing your voice, having you come home." She felt bad for the sadness on his face, she knew that it had upset him to know that she dreamed about him coming home.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company when Felicity brushed her hair out of her face and behind her right ear, the sun catching the piece of jewellery that was there. Oliver stopped eating when he caught sight of it, his smile widening instantly, "Oh wow, where did you find that?"

Felicity looked up confused until Oliver reached out to touch the top of her ear where the industrial bar sat. After all this time, Felicity still wore the wavy bar that he had bought her. She felt herself turn into his touch, "This Felicity…where did you find this?" His fingers lingered on her ear, taking in the feel of her skin.

A small "oh" shape found its way onto Felicity's lips before she smiled, blushing deeply, "Your mum gave it to me at your funeral. She said you'd planned on giving it to me for my birthday…" Felicity let her own fingers run over the bar, remembering how much she had cried on his mother's shoulder that day. "I needed to get away from everyone, so I snuck up into your room, she found me sitting on your bed, she thought I was just _one of those girls_ until she realised it was me. She gave it to me…"

Oliver just nodded, a suddenly heavy feeling taking over him when he thought of his own funeral and Felicity being there, sad and crying where he couldn't hold her. "Happy Birthday Felicity…" he mumbled, loud enough for Felicity to hear before his hand dropped to her free one, holding it tightly.

Suddenly Felicity glanced down at her watch and found that her lunch with Oliver had gone for over 2 hours, "Ah man, I should go back to work…"

Oliver looked up shocked, he couldn't believe they had sat there that long, "Yeah…I wouldn't want you to get into trouble." He stood, reaching for her hand out of reaction, walking next to her towards the entranceway. Someone dropped a glass behind him, the loud crashing sounds of glass and plates. Oliver spun, his hand reaching out for Felicity instantly, pushing her behind him as though to protect her.

But she was safe, he was safe. He looked over to a young girl who was crouched on the ground, cleaning up her mess. He closed his eyes tightly, he tried to slow his breathing down. He was home, not everyone was out to get him, but that didn't stop him from being alert.

The feel of a warm hand on his arm shocked him, causing him to jump once more, sending him spinning around to look at Felicity. His eyes darkened for a moment until he realised it was her staring back at him. "Come on. You're gonna be late…"

He took her hand again, ignoring the confused and concerned look on her face.

Letting go of her concern for a little while, Felicity decided to relish in the feel of her hand in his and followed him out the entranceway. "Well he can't get mad at me if I've been with the boss's son..." Felicity sighed deeply, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. "Really? That's the line I go with?" Oliver smirked back at her as they slowed down in front of QC, god he had missed her slip of the tongue.

They stood in silence for a moment before Felicity reached out to touch his face, as if still unsure that he was real. Her fingers touched him gently, taking in the feel of his stubble on his cheeks, the short length of his hair and the soft skin of his forehead. "God, I've missed you Oliver. I still can't believe you are home."

Oliver just reached out to hug her tightly, needing to feel her again, finding that her touch had grounded him better than anything ever had. "I missed you too Felicity. You have no idea how much." HE spoke into her neck before pulling away, masking his sadness with a fake Ollie Queen smile. "Tonight, mum's having a dinner, it's a thing…" He shrugged, "Please come…I want you there…"

Felicity hesitated, she desperately wanted to go and spend time with Oliver but she knew she wasn't welcome in the house anymore but she could never say no to Oliver, not when he looked at her like that. Sighing she nodded, watching as his smile changed from his mask to something real.

_Oh, this was a very bad idea. _

With one last tight hug, Oliver watched Felicity head back into the building, something settled over him watching her go. She was one of the people he was so desperate to see when he came home, he just didn't know how hard it would be. She had changed, he could see it behind her eyes but so had he. He didn't miss how she had watched him closely when he jumped at the sound of the crashing glass, how he had pushed her behind him to keep her safe. Sighing he headed away from the building, keeping his head down to avoid being seen by too many people just yet.

* * *

Felicity sighed as she stood under the cover near the Queen Mansion front door, she really hoped that Tommy would have been there to walk her in but he as running late and she would have to do this on her own. Taking a deep breath, she knocked heavily on the wooden door, waiting a few minutes before it opened, Raisa standing on the other side.

The older woman hadn't changed at all, older yes but she was the same. Felicity could see the moment of realisation on her face when she noticed it was Felicity. "Oh! Miss Felicity! It's so good to see you!" She ushered Felicity into the entrance, giving her a tight hug, which Felicity returned instantly. She had missed Raisa.

Before she could speak, Moira and Thea were standing in front of them. "Ms. Smoak, I didn't know you were joining us…" Moira was shocked, shocked to see Felicity standing there, shocked that it took her son less than 24 hours to track her down and shocked to see the blonde hair on the young girl. Thea didn't speak, she just eyed Felicity angrily.

Felicity plastered a sweet smile on her face, she wasn't going to cause any upset tonight, tonight was about Oliver. "Mrs. Queen, Thea. It's nice to see you again. I apologise, I thought Oliver would have told you. We had lunch today and he invited me." She really didn't want to throw Oliver under the bus about this but he should have told him mother she was coming.

"Yes, well he didn't inform me. I wouldn't have expected you to come either." It was a harsh statement, reminding Felicity that she was not welcome in the family.

"Felicity!" Oliver's voice caught their attention, they looked up to see him coming their way, a bright smile on his face, the grey suit he wore was amazing on him, he filled it out very, very well. "I'm so glad you are here." He hugged her when he came to her side, pulling her closer to him, both protecting her and welcoming her.

Felicity stiffly returned the hug, "You did ask me to come Oliver. I wouldn't have missed this welcome home for the world…"

It was then that they looked back at Moira and Thea, the other Queen's narrowing their eyes at Felicity just watching as they walked away, not saying another word. She sighed out deeply when she realised that they had gone, a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Glancing up at Oliver, she took in his confused face, hoping he wouldn't ask what was going on.

But she was wrong, of course he would ask, he was always going to ask. He reached for her arm as she went to walk away, stopping her in her tracks and turning her around to face him. "Felicity…Fe-li-ci-ty? What is going on with you? And don't say-"

"Nothing."

"-Nothing. You've never lied to me before. The truth, please."

Clenching her jaw, she hated the way that held still read her so well, there was nothing she could hide from him. She really didn't want to tell him what had happened but he held her arm tightly enough that she wasn't going anywhere until she spoke.

"I told you my father abandoned us…me..." Oliver nodded sadly, he remembered the day she had told him about her family, "Well I barely remember him but I do remember how much it hurt when he left. And the thought of losing someone that important to me again…" She looked up at him sadly, he eyes shining with tears. It _hurt _Oliver to see her that way.

He reached out for her, his hands resting on her cheek, "Hey. You're not going to lose me. Whatever is bothering you, you can tell me." He felt her shaking under his touch, whatever was going on was really upsetting her.

Felicity sighed, running her hand over her hair nervously before she spoke. She was now running the risk of losing Oliver forever but she had to tell him. He _needed_ to know. "It was about 18 months ago... Oliver, you _have_ to understand, Thea had just lost her father and her brother not long before that. She was a wreck. I took her to a bar for her birthday, it was for a band she really wanted to see. So, I bought tickets for her birthday, got her into the bar. She just didn't tell me she was grounded."

Oliver nodded, ok so he could see why his mother was upset with her but it seemed it was an extreme reaction to Felicity taking Thea to a bar.

But she continued, "She said she was going to the bathroom and when she came back, she was happy, it was the first time I'd seen her smile for a while. But it wasn't because she was happy. She'd taken something while in the bathroom and it didn't take long before she passed out against me"

Oliver's breath stopped, he knew Thea had a drug addiction, he just never thought it had gotten that bad, slowly he let his hands fall from Felicity's shoulders, a shocked look on her his face was enough to freak her out.

Rushing the next part, Felicity felt Oliver pulling away, "I called the ambulance, got her to the hospital, called your mum... Thea has slipped into a coma by the time she got there." Oliver couldn't speak, he had no idea. He'd hoped she had grown out of the drugs but clearly not.

Felicity took a step away from him, a physical way of showing she was ready for him to kick her out, she was protecting herself from the heartache that was coming. "Your mum blames me. She told me to stay away from Thea and herself." Oliver's eyes snapped up to look Felicity in the eyes, shocked, she stopped him from talking, "I went back a few days later, thought maybe your mum had calmed down but she had an orderly remove me from the hospital. The last I heard, your mum told Thea I left her, that a stranger called the ambulance and I never showed up at the hospital." She wiped at her eyes, hating herself for crying in front of him. "Tommy keeps me updated and checks in for me though."

So that was the story, that's why his mother and Tommy had both told him that Felicity had moved away, this is why they didn't want her around. By why would Tommy have agreed to this? As far as he knew – when he had come into Starling those years ago – Felicity and Tommy were close friends.

He suddenly noticed that she had moved away from him and so he stepped closer to her, he needed her to know that he didn't blame her. "I'm so sorry Felicity. My mother-my family abandoned you- "

Felicity shook her head; she wasn't going to let him let her off the hook. "She needed to hate me Oliver. _I_ needed her to hate me"

He was shocked, shaking his head, "Felicity what are you talking about?" He couldn't understand her, what was she talking about?

Felicity closed her eyes tightly, how was she going to make him understand? "Thea lost her brother, who she loved more than anything else in this world and then she lost her father. Your mother was the only family she had left. I couldn't take that away from her by telling her the truth." She was adamant that Oliver would not talk her into thinking she had made the wrong decision.

He tried again, placing his hand on her elbow, the feeling of her skin under his touch was sending sparks through his hand, "But Felicity. Thea - she deserves to know the truth," he couldn't believe she was being so selfless right now. After everything that Felicity had been through, her father leaving, her mother dying, him disappearing, she needed to know that she had support but his mother had abandoned her as well.

Felicity had a firm stance though, "No, she deserves her family Oliver, her real family. And she has that. She has your mother and she now she has her _brother. _Please Oliver, it's just how it is." Her hands were now in front of her wringing tightly in anxiousness.

Oliver just shook his head and pulled her into a hug. "Felicity Smoak, you are remarkable…"

She just huffed against him, "Thank you for remarking on it." After a moment she spoke again, "You're not mad?" She had worried he would be angry with her. She was terrified that he would hate her, after finally getting him back, she didn't want to lose him again.

"Felicity, I could never be angry with you. It wasn't your fault; you did everything you could for her." He pulled away from the hug but kept his arm around her shoulder, moving her towards the dining room, "Now come on."

It didn't take long until they were seated around the large table, mostly people Felicity didn't know, they seemed to be in their own worlds. The younger people around the table, those who were the children of Moira's friends, who were about the same age as Oliver seemed to be more interested in her though, eyeing her thoroughly.

Thea sat quietly as well, her eyes glancing between Felicity and Oliver, anger radiating off her every time she looked towards Felicity and Moira, she just looked angry. She didn't acknowledge Felicity at all once she had sat down. Thankfully Oliver had made a point of keeping her part of as much of the conversations as possible.

Tommy rushed through the dining room towards the table, greeting those around him when he saw them, leaning over he placed a kiss to Felicity's cheek before sitting down by her side, Oliver on the other side. He had been running late, she knew that, it was one of the reasons why she was so worried about getting there when she did, Tommy wouldn't be there to help her out. He looked over to Oliver, who was watching him closely, he sent him a small apologetic smile, something that Oliver returned with a small nod.

Dinner was served, the talking got louder, more involved but Oliver got quiet, he seemed uncomfortable with the group of people around him. Felicity looked around at him, noticing that his eyes were everywhere, taking everyone in, searching for the exits. She placed her hand on his knee, rubbing it gently, settling him down instantly. _Oh, how she __settled him down. This was dangerous._

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want a lift home?" Oliver stood by the front door, his hands in his pocket as Felicity pulled her jacket on. He wanted to spend more time with her, she made him feel safe and grounded and considering how dinner had gone, he needed to feel grounded.

Dinner was an effort on his part, there was so much conversation around him, loud noises and movement, there were many times that he felt his body shaking with anxiety, everything almost becoming too much for him but then he had heard Felicity's voice or her laugh or felt her hand on his knee and he seemed to be pulled back. But it still didn't help the slight shake in his hands. It was overwhelming being around that many people all at once.

His mother had invited family friends they hadn't seen in years, a long table of about 30 people all nestled together, it was more people than Oliver had been around in years, the closest he had come was being in a group of 10 that he had then had to fight.

Felicity turned to him, pulling her pony tail from under the jacket as she smiled, "No, it's ok. Tommy is going to give me a lift home." Tommy had already offered to drive her home but considering she was still living with Tommy – it was a good thing that she had the lift. Felicity really didn't want to explain to him why she wasn't living in her own apartment, not yet anyway.

Reaching out to grasp her jacket, Oliver pulled it together and buttoned it up, "If you are sure…" She nodded back to him before reaching up and giving him a tight hug. "Good night Felicity, I hope I can see you during the week…" He didn't want to sound too hopeful but at the same time, he hadn't seen her in 3 years, not really, Oliver just wanted to spend time with her.

"Of course, Oliver why don't you come by QC during the week and we can get lunch again or something?" She wanted to see him again, still not believing he was alive and back. It made her happy when he nodded, excited himself.

"Hey buddy…" Tommy's voice caught there attention and Oliver turned to see him coming up the hallway, his jacket already buttoned up, "Look I just want to apologise for lying to you…about Felicity…" Tommy glanced over at her briefly and then back at Oliver, "I just didn't want to cause too much stress on Thea and your mum, I figured you would have tried to find out where Felicity was anyway…but yea, I'm sorry."

Oliver blinked back at him, watching Tommy closely for a second before bringing his best friend into a tight hug, "Its ok buddy," He patted his back, Oliver understood why Tommy did what he did, he didn't blame him, or Felicity. His mother was a different story though. "Good night Tommy, I'll see you tomorrow?" They had made plans to go and visit the city during the day, Oliver reluctantly agreeing to visit some bars for his Welcome Home party that Tommy was throwing that coming Friday night.

Watching them go, Oliver smiled once more at Felicity as she turned to look at him once more, a small wave over her shoulder. Once the door was closed, Oliver set his face, he was going to have a very pointed conversation with his mother about her treatment of Felicity.

**Any love? **


	18. Welcome To A New Day

**Let me introduce you all to ACT II. Heheh Now the fun starts This is where the second half of this story begins. I hope you are all still interest in what i have to write**

**Thank you for all the love I got from the last chapter, I really makes me excited when I get emails about reviews being left. This was a monster of a chapter, 6500 words, so please let me know what you all think.**

**Chapter 18 – Welcome to A New Day **

Oliver moved slowly into the bedroom, watching his mother move around the room silently. There was one thing that was between Oliver and his mother and that was that they never lied to each other. Before he went on the Gambit, he and his mother knew everything that was happening in the others life, sometimes even more than he would have liked but clearly that had changed. "We need to talk." Was all he said.

Moira jumped from her spot on the bed, where she had sat down to brush her hair out. "Oh Oliver! I didn't hear you come in. I'm tired, it's been a long night so I would like to go to bed." She was deflecting, not wanting to talk to him at all. But Oliver knew better, he knew when his mother was hiding something.

Taking a step further into the bedroom, Oliver placed his hands by his side, trying to control his anger at what had happened. "I know." It was all he said for a moment, watching as she stiffened a little but didn't give anything more away. "About Felicity mum. I know what happened with Thea..." He waited to see her reaction, waited to see what she would give him.

But Moira was good, there was a slight pause in her movements, a pause that most people would not have noticed but Oliver knew better, he saw the twitch of her jaw, the freeze in her hand. "I don't know what you are talking about Oliver." She sighed, looking away from him, not wanting to give him anything more.

"There was a time when there were no secrets between us mum. So, I'm going to say this again, I know what happened with Felicity and I know what happened with Thea. Felicity told me everything."

This seemed to upset Moira, she stood instantly, looking over at him sharply, "You believe her over your own mother?" She scoffed, not believing that Oliver would even come to her with this. "Please Oliver, you can't believe that girl."

Anger flared behind Oliver's eyes at his mother dismissiveness, "I do believe her mother. Felicity gains nothing by lying to me. Felicity has never lied to me and I know she wouldn't start now." He was closer now, his voice lower, deeper, he wanted to hide his anger but his mother but she was testing him more than anyone had tested him in recent years.

"She told me everything, that she took Thea to a bar for her birthday, let her have a drink, she told me that Thea came back high after going to the bathroom and how she passed out. How she called the ambulance and then called you from the hospital. How you kicked her out, told Thea that Felicity had left her on her own." His voice was hard, level, his fingers twitching, thumb and forefinger rubbing against each other.

"She almost got your sister killed!" Moira turned on her heels and stared back at Oliver, her own face hard, eyes emotionless. "She took your 16-year-old sister to a _bar_, I almost lost you sister, after losing you and your father. I couldn't handle that Oliver. I told Thea what I needed to. Felicity needed to stay away from her and this family."

They faced off with each other, Oliver felt his stomach drop at his mother's confession. He no doubt believed Felicity but hearing his mother actually say what she said was painful. "You abandoned Felicity. After everything she has been through – you know her father left her, her mother died, then me – you and Thea were the only family had left. And you abandoned her." He couldn't understand why she would do something like that. I made him feel physically sick to think of the look on Felicity's face when Moira was telling her to leave.

"Felicity did everything she was supposed to, she called the ambulance, waited at the hospital by Thea's side. Even now she _wants_ Thea to hate her because it means that Thea never finds out you lied to her. Felicity didn't do this, Thea did this to herself and she is living with the consequences. But Felicity - Felicity doesn't deserve to live with this." He had to take a step back from his mother, his anger growing.

Moira stayed silent, watching her son. "Oliver please…" She stepped closer to him, her hand reaching out for his but he raised his hands instantly, telling her to stay away. "Thea needed to be kept safe."

Oliver's jaw locked, "Felicity was one of her closest friend and you took that away from her, after everything Thea had been through. I'm not saying that you can't be angry but you've taken something from them both. Thea deserves better and so does Felicity." Oliver shook his head, turning on his heels before he headed back out the bedroom door, he needed to do something, something that would settle the anger inside of him.

As he went, he missed the pair of eyes watching him closely, anger and sadness reflecting in them as they watched him leave.

* * *

Tonight's dinner had been an interesting event, Thea had enjoyed having family friends over, it had been a while since they had come over, people she hadn't seen in a while. She also enjoyed seeing her brother smile, it had been so long since she had seen that, that she realised that she would give anything to see it again.

But then there was Felicity. _Blonde _Felicity. That was something she hadn't expected when she was getting ready. She almost wanted to be happy when she saw Felicity standing by the front door, she had missed Felicity but then Thea had remembered what had happened and the anger just settled into her gut.

Now she wanted to slap that smile off Felicity's face.

Stepping further down the hallway, Thea was heading to say goodnight to her mother, something she had started doing more and more recently. As she stepped closer to the open bedroom door, Thea heard her brother's voice and so waited, thinking that she would just walk straight in but something caught her attention, the conversation between mother and son was something she wanted to hear.

"_She told me everything, that she took Thea to a bar for her birthday, let her have a drink, she told me that Thea came back to her high and how she passed out. How she called the ambulance and then called you from the hospital. How you kicked her out, told Thea that Felicity had left her on her own."_

Oliver sounded angry to Thea, something that she would never associate with her brother. Not much made him angry before the accident, short tempered yes, many fights were the cause of his inability to just handle the situation but this was _anger_. Leaning against the wall, Thea listened a little more closely.

"_She almost got your sister killed!" _

Thea gasped silently; her mother couldn't be serious about this. Oliver couldn't have been right, could he?

"_She took your 16-year-old sister to a bar, I almost lost you sister, after losing you and your father. I couldn't handle that Oliver. I told Thea what I needed to, Felicity needed to stay away from her and this family." _

Oliver was right, Felicity had been there for her, she had called the ambulance, been by her side at the hospital. She hadn't just left her there. And Thea had believed her mother, after everything that Felicity had done for her over the last 4 years, how could she have believed her mother when she said that Felicity had abandoned her?

Thea felt sick, tears forming in her eyes, losing Felicity, after losing Oliver and her father was almost like the straw that broke the camel's back, but she had her mother and that's what she needed. But this information gave her a realisation, if Thea had been heartbroken at the thought that Felicity had left her, how did Felicity feel knowing that Thea never reached out to her.

Thea wanted to run, run back to her room and lock herself away, cry and scream at the thought that she had hurt one of her closest friends, that her own mother had hurt Felicity the way she had. Oliver's voice caught her attention once more, she leaned closer.

"_Even now she wants Thea to hate her because it means that Thea never finds out you lied to her."_

This was enough for the tears to fall silently down her cheeks, Oliver rushing from the bedroom moments later, his head down, hands shaking. He never saw her standing there, something that she was thankful for though, she really didn't want to talk to him at the moment, she wouldn't know what to say.

Turning around, Thea rushed back to her own room, slamming the door instantly, leaning her back against it as she let the new information wash over her. She honestly didn't know what to think now, she did know that she had to talk to Felicity, she needed to know if there was still a friendship there.

* * *

Oliver paced his room, his conversation with his mother had upset him more than he had thought it would, getting under his skin, he needed to do something, needed to work off his anger.

Taking a seat at his desk, Oliver looked over the web searches that he had been doing before dinner, pages and pages of information about the Starling City Elite, those in charge of the docks, in charge of the ports and in charge of the air strips. Each name he found, he scribbled down in the small diary, names he wanted to do more research into.

"You are different. Not like you to read a book."

Oliver's head shot up at the sound of the voice, that voice he remembered so fondly, Raisa. He smiled, closing the book slowly so she would not get suspicious. "Raisa…" He smiled at her; she would always hold a place in his heart. "I've missed you Raisa." She nodded at him, coming to stand by his side as he stood, blacking out his computer screen as he did.

Oliver had missed her; Raisa had raised him and Thea since he could remember so he made a point of showing her his appreciation when he could now that he was home. Bringing her into a tight hug, he sighed against her, "I'm happy to be home Raisa."

They just stood with each other, Raisa remembering the small boy she had raised, the small boy who would run to her when he was hurt or scared. The small boy who had grown into am amazing man. "You are still a good boy Oliver," she spoke against him, pulling away to look up into her eyes.

But Oliver laughed, a self-deprecating laugh, "Oh we both know I wasn't." But Raisa just raised her hand to his cheek, rubbing it gently, "I wasn't a good boy at all Raisa."

"_We now bring you breaking news. The Starling City Police Department has confirmed that there have been three more deaths linked to the drug known as Vertigo." _

Oliver pulled away from Raisa, his eyes landing on the TV in the corner of his room, something that he had even forgotten was on while he was on the computer. He and Raisa turned towards it; their attention now focused solely on the new report.

"_The deaths of the three young people came as emergency services were called to the night club _Club Sanity_, owned by Starling City business mogul Adam Hunt, to reports of multiple sick. When paramedics arrived, they found the three unconscious on the footpath outside the club. All three were unable to be revived. This is 18__th__ death that has been linked to the drug that has been terrorising the streets of Starling City in the last 3 months and the 8__th__ death linked the night club. Adam Hunt has declined to comment." _

"_Police have yet to find the source of the drug and are concerned at the rate that it is being flooded onto the streets, it has been confirmed that this variation of Vertigo is more potent and more dangerous than that of what was on the streets almost 2 years ago. It is now not a question of if it will kill again but when." _

Oliver's jaw locked as he listened to the new report, his whole body vibrating with fury. This drug was in his home town, killing people, almost killing Thea. He had worked so hard to stop the growth while on the island but it was even worse than before. He had planned to settle himself into his home again before heading out onto the streets but the death rate was increasing and it was clear that his plans had to be moved up.

"Oh, this terrible drug. So many dead, so much damage." Raisa just shook her head, a sad look on her face as she did, "I pray for those who get caught up in it."

Oliver watched Raisa walk away, leaving him in his room on his own, the night leading on. He had been researching where to start now that he was home, what angle to take first. And now it seemed as though he had found it.

Adam Hunt.

It had been a name that had come up more than once in his searches and now it seemed that he was more involved than he thought. Adam Hunt may have declined to comment to the media but he sure as hell would have a comment for Oliver.

* * *

Oliver stood in the shadows, watching and waiting, he would always wait. He knew what he needed, who he needed but it seemed that Adam Hunt had gone so far underground that even Oliver couldn't find him. And so instead he was going to start lower down the food chain, hit the dealers and take them out one by one.

He had been at it for the last four nights, each time he would hunt down a number of dealers, put the fear of God into them until they talked and then he would knock them out and call the police or when they really put up a fight, which there had always been at least one of them each night, he would pull back on the bow, sending an arrow flying into their chests before the police could even get there.

He'd killed while back in Starling City, something he never thought he would do, it was his home but once he had spent time driving around, seeing how far the city had fallen, how far the elite had let the Glades fall, he knew he had to do everything he could to save those people. The people that had been abandoned by the rest of the city, by those who worked and lived in buildings that overlooked the damage around them.

The lack of street lights helped conceal himself from the view of those who might be around that late at night. He'd been able to hide in the darkness, his dark green clothing, face covered by the hood that Yao Fe's had given him, the same hood he had taken up while working with the Bratva. It had become part of him, a way to separate the monster from the man, a way to separate the two parts of himself.

By his side was the weapon that had become another part of himself, the extra limb that brought out the hardest parts of himself. His bow, fitting easily to his hand, after years of using it, years of feeling the weight in his hand and the strength behind it. It flexed against him when he needed it to, stayed strong when it was being used in ways it wasn't meant to. Anatoli had called him _Kapusian, _Hood.

Over the years since he had learned how to hit a target on the run and in the worst conditions, Oliver had become an expert marksman, able to take out any target that he needed to, something the Amanda Waller and Anatoli had put to good use but now he was home, using his darkest self to track down the man who was killing people in his town. This hood, his hood, was going to be the nightmare that followed this drug all the way back down the rabbit whole to the person who was at the centre of this whole operation.

Oliver was on his third dealer for night, they were easy to find, the same tweaked out look in their eyes was easy to follow. And so, he waited, eyes trained on the corner, the other hooded figure waiting in the rain, waiting for his next client. And it didn't take long, only moments for the young couple to approach him, a short discussion and handshake before the two moved away, leaving the dealer to make his own way back towards Oliver.

He ducked down the alley way, the darkness encasing them both as Oliver tracked after him, nocking an arrow and firing it towards the dealer. In an instant the dealer was wrapped up around the ankles, the other end of the rope wrapping around an overhead pipeline, flipping the dealer upside down.

His cries echoed through alleyway, his body swinging against the movement of the rope. Oliver was in front of him instantly, his hand on his chest to hold him steady. "Where are you getting the Vertigo!?" Oliver's voice was deep, growling and rough, there was no chance he was leaving his alley without information, the last two dealers didn't have any information for him and he'd had no choice but to put them down, permanently. The first in a long list of people who he would be putting down to make sure Vertigo was taken off the board forever.

"Who is supplying it!?" Oliver landed a punch, sending him swinging once more. "WHO!"

But the dealer just laughed through the pain, "You can't beat him. You are going to lose…The Count always wins…" With another spluttering laugh the dealer passed out, his whole body slackening against the rope holding him upside down, his whole body relaxing. Oliver groaned, there wasn't much more he was going to get from the night now, it was late and the rain had really set in, soaking through to the bone. Oliver let go of the rope, the dealer's body plummeting to the ground with a thud.

It didn't take long for Oliver to get back to the estate, his bike revving against the cold. He was able to sneak back into the house, scaling the side of the building before slipping into the hallway leading to his bedroom. Thankfully it was well after 2am and the rest of the house was asleep. Having spent so many years running around the ground of the house, Oliver was lucky that he knew where the best hiding places were, he'd been able to hide his bike and his backpack with his hood, bow and quiver at the far end of the lands.

It didn't take long before Oliver was back in his room, having changed from his hood already to his normal clothes before changing out and into just his boxers, he hoped that his late night hours of fighting and running was enough to tire him out. Thunder echoed around him, the lightning lighting up his bedroom, causing him to halt for a moment, a sudden flash of dear consuming him.

Since the first nights over the first months on the island, Oliver had always struggled with the storms, each storm brought more noise and a thumping heart as he had always tried to settle himself but the memories of the Gambit going down during a massive storm had settled into the back of his mind, ever present and hounding.

Oliver had somehow found himself lay in front of the open doors to his balcony, a part of him had found a small amount of comfort and familiarity to the past 3 years as he did, the hard floor below him, the feeling of the rain and wind on his face settled him in a way he never thought possible but it did not stop the nightmares that came.

Flashes of the Gambit going under, the feeling over the water pulling him under, his body tiring at the fight to keep his head above water. It was the first storm he had endured during his time away and it was the worst, the deepest fear having run through him, a fear he never seemed to be able to shake.

But shake he did, Oliver's whole body shook at the nightmare, fists clenching tightly as if he was still trying to reach the surface of the water, sweet mixing with the rain that pelted through the open balcony door. He could feel pressure on his shoulder, his nightmare dissolving to a memory of being strapped up to a ceiling, arms above his head, a knife plunging deep into his chest.

Instinctively, Oliver's body reached out in his nightmare finding that there was actual movement, his hands wrapping around the neck of the attacker in front of him.

"_Ollie!" _

Oliver growled at the attacker, his nightmare was exactly like he remembered except that he'd never had his hands free, but now that he did and he was going to use all his strength to make his attacker pay for his torture. He tightened his hands around the neck of the person in front of him, feeling their hands come up to his wrists, nails biting deep to try and push him away.

"_Ollie!" _

That voice again, echoing in the back of his mind, he knew that voice, he recognised that voice.

"_Oliver, its me…It's Tommy…" _

Tommy?

Oliver blinked, the world around him coming to, his bedroom, the sound of the window, the light of day. He wasn't on the island, he was back home, with his family. He was safe. But there was that voice still _"Ollie"_.

He blinked again, Tommy coming into focus for him, the fear in his eyes, the feel of his hands wrapped around Oliver's wrists. It was then that Oliver realised that his own hands were wrapped around Tommy's throat, holding him tightly, squeezing.

Propelling backwards the moment that Oliver realised what was happening, he pushed himself as far backwards into the bedroom as possible, crouching away from the sounds of his worried family, Tommy coughing. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Oliver dropped his head to his knees, keeping them close to his chest as he tried to make himself as small as he could. He tried to put himself as far into the corner as he possible could have.

"Ollie, it's alright…" Tommy's voice was closer this time, trying to sooth Oliver down, "Hey, Oliver, I'm ok man. Really, hey look at me…" Slowly Oliver felt the slight pressure of Tommy's hand on his arm, it was soft and gently, trying not to scare him again. Oliver flinched under Tommy's touch but he didn't let Oliver pull away. His hand tightened around his forearm, pulling Oliver's eye up from his knees to Tommy's.

"I'm ok Oliver. Look, I'm fine." Oliver blinked as he looked over Tommy, he already had bruising forming around his neck but he wasn't coughing anymore. "I promise, I am ok." Tommy really needed Oliver to understand that he was ok. That it was just bruising and nothing permanent. His whole body shook still, the nightmare and the realisation of the pain he had caused his best friend.

Slowly Oliver looked over Tommy's face, noticing the small smile that was on his face, it was small but it was there. "Tommy, I'm so sorry…" But Tommy shook his head, his smile widening a little.

"No man, it's all good. I mean wouldn't be the first time we got into a fight with each other." Oliver laughed a little, relaxing ever so slightly. He was still scared and angry but Tommy's smile lessened that a little. Nodding, Tommy stepped back and gave his hand out to Oliver to help him back to his feet. As he rose, it was then he realised that he was soaked through, memories of the last few hours coming back to him.

The dealers giving him no information – except a name, The Count - the storm, then nightmare. His heartrate began to settle, the shiver taking over once his body realised he was cold from the rain. "Come on man. Its morning. We have a big day planning your welcome home party!"

Oliver stood slowly, realising he was standing in his boxers with Tommy staring at him. Granted it was not the first time that Tommy had seen him half naked or naked but it was the first time that Tommy – or anyone – had seen his chest and back and the scars.

As he stood, Oliver didn't miss how Tommy's eyes dropped to his chest, his eyes widening at the sight. After a moment, Tommy shook his head, clearing any thoughts that he had about Oliver's scars. "Come on man, I'm ok _but_ I am hungry…" He clapped Oliver on the back, settling down some of the anxiety that Oliver was feeling.

"Breakfast before we go bar shopping?" Oliver had reached for the tshirt that was on the bed. Moving towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

"Tommy…you need to talk to Oliver. You _have _to tell him…" Felicity stood in front of the desk in Verdant's upstairs off. Now that Oliver was back, he was going to start seeing more of Tommy, which meant that he would find out about Laurel sooner or later and Felicity felt like it needed to be sooner and from Tommy himself.

Tommy sighed, rubbing his face, "I know Felicity. Alright I know I have to tell him; I just don't know how. I mean, I have no idea how he will react." He stood quickly, looking over at her. "He'll kill me."

Felicity huffed, Oliver would understand, he was gone…he was _dead_ for 3 years. He would never be upset with Tommy. "Do you want to talk to Oliver…maybe it'll be easier coming from me."

But Tommy shook his head, "No it's fine. I have to do it. It has to come from me." He nodded again to Felicity but it more of an encouraging nod to him.

At the sound of creaking floors, Tommy and Felicity looked up to find Oliver standing in the doorway, watching them both closely.

Oliver had been making his way up the stairs when he heard the conversation between Felicity and Tommy, he didn't have much of an idea as to what they were talking about but he could guess. Oliver had asked Tommy what was new in his life and he had mentioned dating someone new. And he was happy for Tommy and what was obvious his girlfriend Felicity.

Oliver felt his stomach drop a little at the thought of Felicity and Tommy being together but he would never fault them as long as they were happy. Taking a deep breath, settling down his heart rate as much as he could at the thoughts running through his head of Felicity and Tommy being together. His hand settled on his pant pocket, a habbit the had gotten into since that was where he had kept the photo of himself, Felicity and Tommy for all those years. Knowing he had it on him, knowing he could look at her face when he needed to settled him when he needed it.

"Hey man! I was just heading off; Felicity is going to run you through the bar!" Tommy rushed past Oliver, granted he did actually have to leave, it was clear that Tommy was trying to get out of there. As Tommy did, he placed his hand on Felicity's briefly before rushing down the stairs and out of the bar.

Felicity smiled up at Oliver as he watched Tommy go, "Come on…I'll show you around." She took a hold of Oliver's arm, the warmth he felt there was enough to spread through his whole body. Oh how he wished he could feel her hands over the rest of him. Shaking his head, Oliver found himself already down the stairs and onto the dance floor.

"So…what do you think?" Felicity turned to face Oliver, she looked worried, unsure of what he actually thought about them making his dream a reality. He watched as she rung her hands together.

Oliver turned and looked around, taking in the dance floor, the DJ booth, and the bar. It was everything he had imagined and more. "Felicity…this place is amazing. Honestly you guys have done an amazing job." He couldn't have been prouder of her and Tommy for their efforts with the bar.

This caused a bright smile to form on her face, her eyes shining. "Oh Oliver, I am so happy to hear that. Oh wait…one more thing…" She grabbed a hold of his hand and led him over to the wall near the bar, she all but shoved him to a panel on the wall. "Late Ada Jonas 11900." Oliver looked down at her a little shocked at hearing his middle name but her smile spurred him on.

Keying in the code, the lights to the bar instantly lit up, the green enveloping the area. Oliver was shocked, the bar got better and better each time she showed him something, but what Felicity wanted him to see was behind the bar on the wall.

With a nod towards the bar counter, Oliver turned and found, in the middle of the wall, the lit-up letter of 'OJQ'. "We wanted to make sure there was always something about you here. Like you were looking down on everyone here…" It was only an instant between the words falling from her lips to Oliver turning around and pulling towards him tightly.

He could not believe how much it meant to him that they had done all of this, that Felicity had thought so much of him to want to have that reminder. "Thank you, Felicity. This means to world to me."

Felicity just hugged him back tightly, "We missed you so much Oliver…I missed you.." They pulled away from each other, smiling and happy. After a moment, Oliver leaned against the bar near him, Felicity switching off then lights and taking the up the same stance by his side. They fell into an easy conversation instantly until the sound of the entrance doors caught her attention.

"We're closed!" Felicity called out with her back turned entrance doors, her eyes still trained on Oliver who was smiling down at Felicity. He'd forgotten how small she was without her heels on. Felicity felt safe enough not to bother look up with Oliver there, anyone would have to be stupid to try something if she wasn't alone.

The sound of heels clicking on the concrete floors pulled Oliver and Felicity from each other, turning they found someone they didn't expect to see. "I was hoping maybe we could talk?" Thea looked a little unsure of herself, her school uniform making her seem younger than she was. Felicity blinked and glanced over at Oliver before smiling.

"Ah yeah sure, I've gotta head out the back anyway…"

But Thea stopped her, "No, I actually meant, can I talk to you Felicity…" Now Thea really looked unsure of herself, almost she was expecting Felicity to tell her she didn't want anything to do with her. She looked between Felicity and Oliver, waiting to see a reaction. Thankfully she received smiled in return.

Oliver nodded, turning to Felicity, his hand reaching for her shoulder gently, "I will leave you to it then. I'm gonna go and see what around…" With a quick squeeze of her shoulder, he moved from behind the bar, passed Thea where he leaned in a placed a kiss on her cheek, before heading out the entrance doors.

Silence filled the space for a few minutes, Felicity not wanting to push Thea, considering she came to see her and Thea not really sure how to broach the subject. After a moment, Thea signed and moved to stand by the bar, hopping up on to the bar stool. "So…I never told you that I like your hair blonde…"

Felicity laughed, running her hands through her pony tail before making her way to Thea's side, sitting on the stool next to her. "Thanks, I ah…I needed the change about 6 months ago…"

Thea nodded, unsure of what to say next. "I ah…Look, I need to apologise to you Felicity. I overheard Oliver and mum talking on Monday night after you left dinner and I-"

"He what?" Felicity blinked; Oliver had promised her that he would not mention what happened to Moira at all. He was not supposed to even bring it up ever again.

"Yeah, look don't be upset with him ok. He was pretty angry with her and since he has been back, he has struggled to keep his anger down. I mean really, it's like he struggled with all his emotions really." Thea shrugged, thinking of that morning with Tommy and how scared he was after hurting him. "But I need you to know that I am sorry, I shouldn't have cut you out, I should have come to see you. I mean I know how much you were hurting too with Ollie and well I guess I got so caught up in myself that I didn't stop to think about anyone else."

Felicity watched Thea, shocked at how far she had come since that night, true she still had bad days, understandable when the media decided it was a good idea to run a previous story about Oliver or his disappearance. Sighing, Felicity looked down, "To be honest with you Thea, I think I still would have made the same decision as I originally did. You needed you mum, she was the only family you had left and I didn't want you to lose her too over what happened."

Thea reached out suddenly, grasping onto Felicity's hand tightly, "You are my family Felicity, you were always my family. You know me better than most, you still do. I needed you in my life as well as my mum." Felicity held Thea's hand just as tight as Thea held hers.

"Thea, you were always my family. That's why I did what I felt was right by not coming to you after you got out of the hospital. I still blame myself; you weren't old enough to even be in a bar and I still took you there. I have to shoulder the blame for you even being there. Plus, you were grounded-"

But Thea shook her head, "Felicity…why do you think I was grounded in the first place? I'd snuck out during the week and got caught by the cops, drunk and high. You taking me to the bar didn't suddenly make me a drug addict." Felicity gave Thea a watery smile, her own tears forming, sad at actually hearing Thea call herself an addict but also happy to speaking to her again.

"How about we put this all behind us. Ollie is back and now we can move forward together as well…" Felicity liked the sound of that. Felicity leaned forward, bringing her arms around Thea in a tight hug, something she realised she had been missing for the last 18 months.

* * *

Oliver tracked around the outside of the old steel factory, smiling to himself a little at the thought that Thea was there to see Felicity. Seeing her come into the club made him realise that she must have heard his conversation with their mother. Did he actually expect her turn up and talk to Felicity? No. But she was not the 14-year-old he remembered, who was the most stubborn child he had ever met.

Skimming around the outside of the old building, Oliver stopped, a small set of stairs in the far corner of the building. They led down to an old door, one that looked like it hadn't been opened in years but it was also surrounded by piles of old metals and scraps. It took only a moment for Oliver to be by the door, looking over it, he decided to give it a good shove, hoping the old hinges would just give – and thankfully it did.

Hearing the old metal scraping along the concrete floors, Oliver pushed further into the room, finding that it was quite large and continued on for a good stretch of the building. If Oliver didn't know any better, the room spanned the whole length of the building, sitting directly underneath the club. It seemed as though neither Felicity or Tommy knew it was there.

Standing in the middle of the floor, he looked around and there was light coming in from the small windows but it was out of the way, no way of finding it if you weren't looking for it. This could work in his favour. Over the last few days, Oliver had been thinking about how he could keep his lives separate and he now realised that where else would everyone expect him to spend almost all his nights?

A nightclub.

This was the perfect cover for him, he could set himself up right underneath the club, secure side entrance that it was clear that no one else knew about. This was exactly what he needed, plus there were already a few tables sets up, perfect for his computer and some equipment as well as left over steel.

Oliver smirked when he looked at what was left in the room, he already had a use for most of it, he would use the left over pieces to set up work out equipment, he had been missing his salmon ladder over the last week.

Realising he had been gone for about half an hour, Oliver headed back the way he came, pulling the door closed behind him, Oliver rushed towards the front entrance of Verdant. As he pushed open the door, Oliver stopped and smiled, Thea and Felicity was sitting next to each other, "Well this look promising…" He was hoping that Thea and Felicity would settle what was happening between them.

Thea laughed as something Felicity had said before turning to Oliver, "Oh don't worry big brother, we are now back to being friends…you better watch out…" Oliver just shook his head, stepping up to Felicity's side. Silence stretched between them all, Thea watching as Oliver and Felicity just smiled at each other, seeming as though Thea wasn't even there. Her mind was running a mile a minute as to what she could do that piece of information she had gathered about her brother and his best friend.

**Please leave a review! I love to hear what you have to say.**


	19. Warrior

**Chapter 19 – Warrior**

"_In other news; Starling City Police are searching for the identity of a masked vigilante that is terrorizing the city's drug dealers. It seems that this archer has been tracking down dealers, many of them not surviving his attacks, some being handed off to the Starling City Police Department. Detective Quentin Lance of the police say they are hunting the masked vigilante and are closing in on his identity. They have asked anyone with information to come forward as he is noted as being armed and extremely dangerous."_

"God, what has this world come to? A masked vigilante?" Moira scoffed as she sat on the couch in front of the TV, Thea by her right side, dropping the control onto the couch next to her.

Oliver glanced toward his mother, listening intently to what she honestly thought about the vigilante, although he was glad that she wasn't happy with what he was doing, it made it easier to pretend it wasn't him if the chance came to it that someone started to put two and two together. "Man, this guy has been around for like a week and he gets' more air time than the Kardashian's." Oliver laughed, shaking his head.

Thea and Moira glanced towards Oliver, raised eyebrows and shock on their faces. Neither were expecting a comment like that. "What? I wasn't gone for that long…"

But Thea just shook her head, raising from the couch, kissing Oliver on the cheek as she went, "You are hopeless." She shook her head before walking away. Oliver wasn't sure how to take her comment but Thea leaving gave him a chance to talk to his mum, the mention of Quentin Lance on the TV brought a thought to the front of his mind.

"Hey, I need to ask you something and I need an honest answer."

Moira looked concerned for a moment, the last time Oliver had been this serious with her, they had argued about her treatment of Felicity and her secret keeping from Thea. But Oliver's face softened a little as he came close to her, sitting on the side of the coffee table in front of her. "I need you to tell me about Sara…Lance. I know have spoken to Mr. Lance."

Oliver watched as Moira's face froze for a second. "Oliver why do you want to go back over that?" But is face held strong, he needed to know. Sighing, she leaned forward. "Oliver please…You need to let this go. It's not worth bringing up the past." She rose suddenly, leaving him sitting there on his own, angry and frustrated.

* * *

The music was thumping as Oliver made his way into the club, a little overwhelmed at the amount of people that had turned up to his 'welcome home' bash, but he wasn't surprised, considering how many people pretended to be his friend before he got on that boat. There was only 2 people he wanted to spend his nights with – Felicity and Tommy – but he promised he would attend the part and here he was. Taking a deep breath, Oliver buttoned up his jacket and looked around, glad to find Tommy almost instantly.

They hadn't seen each other since earlier that day, Felicity having taken the day off work to help with the set-up, Tommy having started at Verdant before heading off. It was a strange afternoon but by 5.30 he, Felicity and Thea had left the empty bar, headed back to their own places to get ready for the party.

"Ollie!" Tommy greeted him instantly, bringing him in to a tight hug, "Looking good man, it's been a long time since I've seen you in a suit…damn, I didn't realize how much you filled them out now…" Clearly Tommy had had a bit to drink already, considering it was almost 8.30pm it wasn't a surprise.

Oliver just smiled; he was used to woman talking about how he looked but it was a little embarrassing that Tommy had mentioned his extra mass. "I don't know if I should be annoyed at that comment."

But Tommy shook his head quickly, "No, no…just we used to be the same size and now…jeez." Suddenly he turns, his arm slung around Oliver's shoulder as he motioned towards the dancing crowd, "So by my calculations you haven't had sex in 1095 days. So, I think it's time to get you laid."

Tommy moved Oliver closer to the crowd, giving him a better look at the girls that were on the dance floor, "What about the red head, Carrie Cutter…I heard she is a cop…" Tommy pointed to the girl standing in the middle on the closest group of girls, her red curls bouncing as she swayed her hips to the music, her eyes focusing on Oliver instantly.

Oliver inwardly groaned, yeah, he was not interested in her at all. That was not going to happen, "Not really who I am looking to catch-" Oliver trained off as his eye caught sight of a beautiful blonde just off to the side of the dance floor, her hair was curled in tight curls down her shoulders, the gold dress she wore shining against the lights of the club. Oliver's mouth clamped shut instantly, he swallowed deeply at the sight in font of him.

She was gorgeous.

Felicity Smoak was absolutely stunning and it was as though she didn't even know it. She looked around, very unsure of herself, her phone in her hand, her only lifeline it seemed as she stood alone, seemingly looking for someone she recognized.

Oliver tilted his head a little as he took her in, blinking a few times as though trying to clear his vision. She was a vision. He felt as though his hands were shaking, the need to be closer to her taking over as his feet started moving by her side. He wanted to reach out for her, to touch her, to see her smile directed to him but as he came by her side, something stopped him, his heart dropping instantly.

"Damn. Where have you been my whole life?" Tommy laughed as he came to Felicity's side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and placing a kiss on her lips. "You look amazing Felicity." He smiled at her again, laughing once more as he pushed him away from her.

Oliver watched as Felicity blushed under the compliments of Tommy, a little unsure of herself but she didn't let it show for very long. "You look great Oliver! The suit is definitely a good look." She smiled brightly at him, pulling his own smile once more.

If there was anything Felicity Smoak could do – it was pulling a genuine smile from Oliver's usually stoic face. He blinked once more, noticing that Tommy's arm stayed around her shoulder tightly. "You look…beautiful Felicity…" he wasn't sure how strong his voice sounded over the music but the deep red blush that ran from her cheeks and under the dress told him that she had heard him.

Slipping a piece of hair back behind her ear, Felicity ducked her head a little, "Thank you Oliver."

They fell into an awkward silence for a few moments only broken by a more awkward situation. "Laurel…" Tommy's voice pulled them all from their silence, Oliver's back straightening. He hadn't seen Laurel since before he left, he had tried but she had been busy with a client and decided it was not a good time to talk to her.

Turning on his heels, Oliver found Laurel, as gorgeous as ever, standing in front of him. Her long dark hair was by her shoulders, neat business dress across her body. She was beautiful. "Hello Laurel." Oliver spoke softly. He wasn't really sure what to say.

Laurel looked angry at the sight of Oliver but considering she was at a party of him, what else did she expect to happen? "Hello Ollie. I ah…" But she wasn't too sure what to say really, the silence falling over them all.

Oliver decided that now was going to be the best time to have a conversation with Laurel. Motioning out towards the entrance doors of Verdant, Oliver placed his hand against Laurel's elbow, leading her back the way she came – watching as she gave Tommy and Felicity a glance over her shoulder before heading back into the cold night with Oliver by her side.

They walked side by side out in the cold, Oliver watching as Laurel pulled her jacket closer to her body. "So…you went to Law school. You always said you would." He had long since placed his hands into his pockets, trying his hardest to keep himself calm considering the conversation he was no doubt going to have.

Laurel nodded, her lips in a tight line, considering what to say next. "Yeah, everyone is proud. Three years and you want to talk about me going to Law school?" May as well rip the band aid off instead of beating around the bush.

Oliver nodded to himself, he knew Laurel better than to have idle chit chat. "No. I want to apologies. It was my fault. I want to ask you not to blame her." He really didn't want Laurel to blame Sara for what happened. He remembered more of night than he thought he would. He was the one who had sought Sara out, he'd texted her, he'd rented the hotel room for them both and he was the one who had supplied the alcohol.

He distinctly remembered being the one to initiate the kiss as well. Sara was just there, someone he had easy access too. Oliver didn't like who he was back then, he despised who he was so he expected nothing less than being despised by Laurel.

Laurel stopped short, huffing out an unbelievable laugh, "For what? Falling under your spell? How could I possible blame her for doing the same things I did? Oliver you do what you want to do, you always have-"

"I never meant-" his voice dropped, he hated knowing that he had hurt her so much, by what else did he expect was going to happen when you sleep with your girlfriend's sister?

Laurel cut him off, not wanting to hear any more of what he had to say, "-She was my sister. I couldn't be angry with her because she was _gone_. I couldn't grieve for you because I was so angry. That's what happens you when you die after screwing your sister. I stood at your empty coffin and I wanted to be happy you were dead. I wanted to be sad you were dead. I wish you stayed dead."

Oliver locked his jaw, looking over her head for a moment, mostly to settle his own emotions. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Laurel, his voice soft, "I know that it's too late to say this but I'm sorry."

Laurel took a step back from him, her face straight, "Yeah I'm sorry too, I hoped that you would rot in hell a whole lot longer than 3 years." She turned on her heels, leaving him out on his own in the cold.

He deserved a lot more from Laurel because of his actions. He had caused so much heartache over his years, his friends, his family, his girlfriend. He wasn't a good person; he never had been. Until this moment, he hadn't given much thought to where Sara might be, he knew she had gotten into a fight with Laurel and her father after they found out but he never knew where she's gone. He had left on the Gambit within a few days of everything blowing up in his face.

Waiting a moment, Oliver decided he needed to go back into the party, he had to at least show his face for a little while but in the back of his mind, he was running through all the drug dealers he could be beating the shit out of for information. Before making his way into the party, Oliver had dropped off his bike and his backpack and bow off under the bar, he had planned to spend most of the rest of the weekend working on his set up. Thankfully Tommy had decided that Friday night was a good time for a party.

Shaking his head, Oliver placed a smile back on his face, he made his way back into the bar, looking around at the en mass of bodies dancing with each other. He found his way to the bar, Felicity's dress shining like a beacon for him. His fake smile fell into a real one for a minute, seeing her throwing her head back with a laugh, drink in her hand, she looked happy. But his smile fell when he saw Tommy by herself, his hand on her arm, laughing and drinking as well. "Hey!" He called out to Oliver when he saw him, smiling brightly.

Felicity turned around with a smile, handing Oliver the rest of her drink which Oliver took happily. "I'm gonna…yeah…" Tommy skulled the rest of his drink before moving away from the two of them, heading straight into the crowds of people.

Oliver didn't watch him leave, his eyes only focused on Felicity but she could read him easily, "You ok…?" She placed her hand on his arm, getting his attention fully. Felicity blinked slowly as she watched him, she knew this conversation with Laurel didn't go well. "It'll be ok Oliver. I know she isn't happy to see you but it'll be ok." Oliver wanted to hate her complete optimism; she was always so sure that goodness would come to him.

He knew better. He was past the point of goodness.

Oliver only smiled back at her, feeling the warmth of her hand on his arm, something he didn't want to give up just yet. "Hey ah…" He tilted his head towards the side to the side, motioning for her to follow him. Instantly she did, letting her arm slip around his crooked elbow as they moved to a quieter spot. Once they were there, Oliver turned to Felicity, forcing himself to drop her hand from his arm.

"Can you tell me what happened to Sara?"

If there was one thing Oliver knew for sure was that Felicity couldn't keep a secret from him and she answer almost everything he asked. He watched as her smile dropped, nodding her head. "Ah…after what happened. Sara and Laurel got into a massive fight; I remember Tommy telling me about it. Mr. Lance got involved as well. Last I heard Sara had taken off, no one has seen or heard from her in 3 years. I tried tracking her down but even I couldn't find her. I mean that would usually mean that she either was in the middle of nowhere or she was…dead."

She sighed, rubbing her forehead that the thought. Felicity never knew Sara; she barely knew Laurel before the last 3 years but that didn't mean it didn't upset her to think about where Sara was. "I think that Mr. Lance thinks she's dead so…" Felicity shrugged a little, a sad look taking over Oliver's face. Felicity stepped forward once more, her hand reaching up for his cheek, he subconsciously leaned into her hand. "It's not your fault Oliver, ok. Please remember that…"

They stood there for a moment, just watching each other, Felicity still touching him, wanting to be sure that he is real and Oliver just basking in the feeling of her touch, pretending that she wasn't going to be going to Tommy's bed that night.

It was well after midnight when Felicity approached Oliver and Tommy, who had been holed up on the VIP level of the bar, Tommy was drunk, Oliver was just smiling but Felicity couldn't tell how drunk he was. "Hey…I'm gonna head off. I need sleep."

Tommy stood instantly, reaching for her, "Are you sure…stay longer!" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her into his side. Felicity glanced down at Oliver who just smiled back at her, he had dropped his jacket on the couch next to him, his sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows and his top buttons of his shirt undone.

Tommy dropped his nose to rest against her cheek, sobering up almost instantly. "Are you sure?" Felicity looked towards Tommy and a conversation passed between the two, a silent conversation that it seemed they only they knew. Oliver just watched the two, he felt like he was intruding on a private moment, his stomach dropping even more at the thought.

He really needed to get a hold of himself. He knew he couldn't be with Felicity, she deserved to be happy and he couldn't give her that. He knew that. But it still hurt to see her with Tommy, to know that if he hadn't gotten on that boat, it might have been him standing there with her.

"I'll be fine Tommy. I promise." Felicity's voice caught his attention and Oliver blinked, looking back at the two. After a moment, Tommy nodded, placing a kiss on her cheek before he moved away, sitting back down next to Oliver. But Oliver had stood by this point, wanting to give her a proper goodbye. "Walk me out?" Felicity tilted her head towards to entrance downstairs, hoping he would agree.

Oliver smiled and nodded, placing his hand on her lower back as he led her from the VIP level. Over her shoulder, Felicity glanced back at Tommy who just watched her go, smirking with a raised eyebrow at the two. Felicity just rolled her eyes and kept walking, she relished in the feeling of Oliver's hand on her back.

Once outside, Oliver hailed Felicity a cab, waiting for her to get in but before she did, Felicity leaned up and placed her lips on his cheek, "Have a good night Oliver…" She looked away from him before leaning into the cab. Oliver held out his hand to help which she took instantly before he closed the door, watching as the cab drove off. Oliver stood there, watching her drive off, a tingle in his cheek from where her lips were.

Felicity's drive back to her apartment was quick, quicker than she thought. It had been 6 months since she had been in her home, staying with Tommy since the last night with Cooper. Tommy had asked her for a few days before she went home, she wasn't sure what he had done but when she pushed open her front door, she found that her place was warm, Tommy had turned the heating on.

Moving into the living room, she found that the kitchen seemed to be stocked with food, her fridge full. She smiled slightly, she loved Tommy; only he would think to help her out this way. But as she stood there, alone and silent in her living room, her heart started to pound.

She started to shake, the memories of Cooper circling her, pushing her against the couch and the coffee table assaulted her thoughts. She slammed her eyes closed, trying to keep those thoughts out of her mind but it didn't help, the sound of a door slamming next door made her jump and cry out instantly.

With shaking hands, Felicity pulled her phone from her bag, sending a quick message to the one person she knew would come running to help her.

* * *

Oliver stood nervously at Felicity's front door. He wanted to spend the day with her, wanted to just be happy for a little while before he headed out and try and track down Adam Hunt, The Count or any of the dealers that had been hanging around still. But he wanted to spend time with Felicity first, before he put on the hood and became someone else.

Knocking on her door, Oliver listened while there was movement and then suddenly the door swung open, Tommy stood in the door way, hair ruffled, track pants sitting low and t shirt twisted. "Ollie man. What are you doing here?" He was shocked to see Oliver standing there.

Oliver blinked, he should have expected Tommy to be there after the party, where else would you go after a night of dancing and drinking – but to your girlfriend's house. He took a quick step back, his heart dropping like a lead balloon. "I ah…I was actually going to see if Felicity wanted to get breakfast but it's alright."

He turned to walk away, his hand going straight to his forehead, "Ollie wait, how about you come with us. Felicity will love to have you."

But Oliver shook his head again, "No it's cool man. Don't worry about telling her I dropped by. Enjoy your day!" And then he was gone, not wanting to hang around any longer. Tommy watched as Oliver headed back down the hallway, clearly overthinking what was happening right now but he knew he couldn't tell Oliver the truth, not until Felicity was ready to tell him first. Turning back, Tommy closed the and turned back towards Felicity's living room.

He needed to talk to her, he needed her to talk to Oliver about what had happened but he also knew that pushing her was not going to get him anywhere.

* * *

After leaving Felicity's apartment, Oliver did the one thing that he could think off, he jumped on his bike and headed to Verdant and his entrance to the Foundry below. It didn't take long before he was shirtless and out of breath. He had worked himself to the point of exhaustion. Setting up a desk and computers, setting up his workout gear, the rope tied to the roofing where her found himself now, with each pull of his upper body Oliver pulled himself further up the rope, his back muscles screaming in agony and protesting.

Once at the top of the roofing, Oliver swung himself into the rafters, upside down by the knees. He proceeded to do crunches this way, his whole body taut as he pushed hard and faster. He had been at his work out for almost 4 hours. He had long since soaked through his shirt which was laying off to the side.

It was close to 2pm by the time he set himself down from the rafters of the Foundry, enjoying the cool breeze that was making its way from some gap, somewhere in the basement. He grabbed the towel on the table, glancing down at the computers. He had been able to find some information on Adam Hunt on his own but he was at an end as to how he would find anymore about him. But he knew that Adam Hunt was his ticket to finding out who this Count was.

Glancing down at his watch, Oliver groaned, he promised his mother he would be back in the afternoon and he was already late for that. He took one last look around, making a mental note of the equipment he was going to start acquiring over the next week to further his plans, he also signed when he looked at the computers – there was one person he knew could help him do what needed to be done.

It didn't take long before he was back home and changed, he was going to head out to spend time with Thea who was somewhere in the house, but as he was walking down the stairs Tommy pushed open the front door, he had always been welcome and never needed to knock. Before they even had a chance to talk, there was a heavy knock on the front door.

Raising his eyebrow at Tommy, Oliver moved to the door, opening it, he found Detective Lance and Detective Hilton standing there. "Just who we were looking to speak to." They pushed their way into the house, headed straight for the living room where the rest of the family were already seated.

Within moments, Oliver was seated next to his mother, Thea on his left and Tommy across from him. He knew exactly why Detective Lance was there, he just hoped that he could convince him of what he wanted him to believe. "What can we do for you detective Lance?" Moira spoke suddenly as soon as Detective Lance and Hilton were seated on the opposite couch.

Lance held Oliver's stare for a few second before he spoke, Hilton standing back behind them. "I just have a few questions about your son's miracle return to Starling City." Moira's back straightened at the tone Detective Lance held. She knew he blamed Oliver for Sara leaving but she had no idea why he was talking to Oliver now. What could he possibly need to tell him about his time away and how he got back?

"Detective I'm not sure why-"

But Lance cut in, not wanting anyone from the family to take over this questioning. "I find it strange that you come back to town after 3 years of being marooned on an island and this vigilante suddenly turns up, going after dealers of the drug, a drug that almost killed your sister no less." Lance leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he watched Oliver closely. This was something he expected, he had planned for this.

Moira sighed, unsure of what he was trying to get at, "What is the relevance of these questions Detective Lance? My son isn't some vigilante." She wanted to roll her eyes at the notion that her son had grown into a killer.

That set Lance's jaw, if he had it his way, he would have been asking Oliver these questions in a police station interrogation room, but he didn't have his way and this was the compromise he had to give. "The relevance of these questions is that whatever happened on that island turned your son into a cold-blooded killer. The physician that examined you reported that 20% of your body was covered in scar tissue. Did that happen there?"

Oliver tilts his head a little at the mention of his scars, Thea hadn't seen them or even known about them, Moira had known about the scars but not the reasoning behind them and Tommy had seen them most recently but he'd never spoken about them. No matter how prepared he was for this conversation, that was a question he had hoped he was better prepared for. Oliver's lips tightened into a line, "Yes." A simple reply to Lance's question.

Lance was like a dog with a bone, he felt like that was the in that he needed to unravel Oliver's entire story. "When you came back you told everyone that you were alone on that island. Are you saying your scars were self-inflicted?" He just needed to rope him in a little bit more.

He had to give a little for this story to sell, Oliver knew that, he honestly just didn't want his family there with him when he told Lance where he got the scars from. "No. I wasn't alone. I didn't want to talk about what happened to me on the island-" He tried to explain away his reasons but Lance cut him off.

"-Why not?"

Oliver could tell that his mother wanted to jump in and say something but he wasn't going to let her, he needed to do this "-Because the people who were there, the people who found me - they tortured me." He sighed, looking away from Thea and Tommy, he didn't want them to see the look in his eyes, the look that clouded over his eyes almost in shame. He didn't want them to see the pain and the fear in his eyes.

He sighed, "I spent weeks at a time not seeing the light of day. I spent 3 years hiding in the corner of room, begging them to kill me. Why would I share that with anyone?"

Oliver sniffed back the tears that begun to form behind his eyes, they were real. It was hard for him to talk about what happened there, to be confronted with questions specifically about what happened there. He stood quickly, suddenly feeling a little closed in, the stares of his family and Tommy becoming too much for him. "Detective if you think I had time to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow after being locked in a cell for 3 years, you are seriously deluded."

It was harsher than he expected it to be but Oliver had underestimated how much he would be affected by the line of questioning. He turned from the living room, rushing out and up the stairs, not even bothering to look at Felicity who had apparently come in during the conversation. He vaguely heard Moira demanding the detectives leave.

He was in his bedroom instantly, not really sure how he got there but he needed to get out, he needed to go for a run or work out or something. He just needed something to work out the excess energy that he suddenly found; he didn't think that after his four hour work out that he would have any energy left. His hands went to them buttons of his shirt, unbuttoning from the top down, he needed to get out.

"Hey…"

Oliver stopped, turning on his heals he found Felicity leaning against his doorway, arms folded over her chest. She was watching him closely, her eyes settling on the part of his chest that she could see. Instantly, Oliver felt a little self-conscious with her watching him but he didn't move, couldn't move. Just watched as his blonde best friend, dressed in a gorgeous purple dress, matching heels, making her way to his side.

She looked unsure of herself, she'd seen him angry downstairs, she'd heard his story, heard what had happened on that island. She came to stand in front of him, her eyes had never left what she could see of his chest, she was embarrassed at staring at him though – that was something he had seen in the past, Felicity blushing while staring at his chest – but this was different, she was curious and shy. He wanted to move, didn't want her to see him this way but he couldn't, she was keeping him there with her eyes focused on him.

Once she was standing in front of him, Felicity reached out, her hands reaching out to move his shirt out of the way a little, his chest tattoo and scars visible to her. But she didn't push more than that, no more than she already had. "I…I didn't know about the torture Oliver. Or your scars." She looked up into his eyes, trying to get him to focus on her, he was looking down, trying to hide his eyes from her. She could read him too easily, she always could.

She didn't put her focus on his scars and at the point he realized that he was scared about what people would think about his body, what she would think. Her hand moved from his shirt, she still hadn't touched his skin, to his face, bringing his eyes up to hers, "What happened to you on that island was for more than you deserved. You survived so much."

Oliver sighed, turning his head into her hands, swallowing deeply against the lump in his throat, his voice was soft yet rough, "There were times I wanted to die." He felt sick for mentioning this to Felicity, it was a weakness he never wanted to show her.

"But you didn't, Oliver you fought and you survived. These scars, they shouldn't be a reminder of the pain, they should be a reminded of how you fought and won. Each time you look at them, it should be with the knowledge that you are still standing here today." She placed her other hand on the other side of his face, her fingers framing his eyes and cheeks. He couldn't stop the small tear that slipped from his eye, her thumb catching it. "Oliver Queen you survived three years in Hell and I for one – am extremely happy that you did. That you came back."

Oliver sighed against her, "In the end, there was something I wanted more. I wanted to come home to Thea, to Tommy…to you…" He leaned into the hand on her cheek, silence settling over them. "Are you happy Felicity?" He really didn't want to be that guy, the guy who _wanted _his best friend and girlfriend to break up but he needed to know, he also needed to change the subject from him and what happened.

Look back up at Oliver, Felicity's brow scrunched unsure of what he was talking about. "Oh Oliver, I am _so_ happy that you are home. I know it's been a hard week for you to be back but-"

But Oliver shook his head, "No I…" He placed his hands over hers, which hadn't left his face, "…I mean you and Tommy. Are you and Tommy happy?"

Slowly Felicity nodded, "Yeah of course we are happy…you are home…"

But this time he laughed a little, clearly, she wasn't understanding him. "Felicity I want to know if you are happy with Tommy. The two of you…together…" Oliver watched as realization shone in her eyes, her small falling from her lips. Oh no, that was what he worried about, he would mention it and it would all be weird between them.

He went to pull away from Felicity but she held him tightly, "Oliver…Tommy and I aren't seeing each other. I don't know why you think that but trust me, we are _not_ together." She looked at him closely, trying to read him.

Oliver hoped that he didn't look to relieved. "Why would you think that me and Tommy are seeing each other?" Felicity tilted her head to look at him a little more. By this stage Oliver had dropped his head, taken a step back from Felicity and buttoned up his shirt, he really didn't want to have this conversation with his shirt unbuttoned, no matter how ok Felicity seemed with his scars.

He moved towards the bed, sitting down on the edge, Felicity following him. "It's just…Tommy said he was seeing someone but wouldn't tell me who then I heard you guys talking in the office at Verdant yesterday about telling me. And then this morning…this morning I stopped by to see if you wanted to get some breakfast with me – Tommy opened the door and you were in the shower. I figured-"

Felicity laughed throwing her head back, Oliver raised his eyebrow at her, shocked at her reaction, "Oh Oliver…I'm sorry. Tommy is seeing someone but it's not me. That's what we were arguing about yesterday at Verdant, I was trying to encourage him to tell you. And this morning…" She swallowed deeply, not really wanting to tell him why Tommy was there, not just yet. "…Tommy had just come past this morning, he had to drop something off to me. There was nothing it in." She shrugged, hoping that he would let that go.

Felicity reached for his hand, holding it tightly, she needed Oliver to be ok right now. She did not miss the sigh of relief that Oliver gave when she told him, that he seemed happy that she wasn't with Tommy but she did not have time to think about it anymore because there was a throat cleared from the doorway. They both looked up to see Tommy standing there, almost mirroring the same stance Felicity had, leaning against the doorway.

"So…whatchya doin'?" He smirked, looking at their joined hands.

Felicity just rolled her eyes, smiling at Oliver before standing. "I was just telling Oliver that you and I are_ not_ together." She raised her eyebrow at Tommy who's smile fell instantly. "I am going to head down stairs and check on Thea." Felicity turned to Oliver, leaning over as she placed a kiss on his cheek, "Remember what I said ok." She pulled back to look at Oliver who smiled and nodded in return, holding her hand a little longer as she walked away.

As she walked past Tommy, Felicity reached out for his hand, squeezing it tightly before whispering, "Tell him." And then she was gone, headed straight out the bedroom door.

Silence passed over Tommy and Oliver, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Tommy decided he should, "Hey man, about what happened downstairs. I'm so sorry. I-"

But Oliver shook his head, "Nah, it's fine man. I ah, I don't really want to talk about it." Tommy nodded, he understood. "So, are you going to tell me who it is that you are dating?" Oliver just needed to know now. It was clear that Felicity knew and it was killing Oliver that he couldn't figure it out.

Tommy let out a huff of a laugh, he couldn't get away with it now. "Look man…first I want to tell you that I debated for a while before asking her. I even talked to Felicity about it all. I didn't want to; I didn't think I should-"

Then it dawned on Oliver, it all made sense. "You're are dating Laurel." It wasn't a question but a statement. Oliver looked away from Tommy, suddenly not really sure how to feel. He and Laurel had been broken up when he left on that boat, that much was clear. But there was so much they had been through and so much they still needed to settle between the two of them, plus Tommy was his best friend, but Oliver had been dead.

"Look man. I promise, we didn't do anything while you were together. It just, it grew when you were gone-" Oliver stood suddenly and Tommy became very aware of how big Oliver was. He took a step back on instinct.

Oliver smiled, "It's alright Tommy. I get it. As long as you are happy." He held out his hand for Tommy to shake but after a moment of hesitation, Tommy wrapped his arms around Oliver, bringing him into a hug, both for the conversation downstairs and this one.

Once they pulled away, Oliver smiled at Tommy, a happy feeling taking over him at that thought that Tommy was _not_ dating or sleeping with Felicity. "This morning…Felicity called me last night to drop something off to her and I did it on my way home from the club. I crashed on the couch." Tommy laughed, shaking his head, such a misunderstanding between them.

Something caught Oliver's attention though – the difference in story as to why Tommy was at Felicity's was strange. Why would she just not have said he crashed the night before? Oliver smiled back at Tommy, his mind going a mile a minute while trying to find a reason. It was something he was going to have to ask Felicity about the next time he saw her.

**Wow, that was a big chapter, hope it moved the story along a little more and wasn't too much of a filler chapter! – please review! **


	20. No More Mask

**Hey guys! I know I had a few updates in quick succession and then this one took a little longer – iver started work now so updates might slow a little (I do shift work so really just depends on what the go will be) but I promise I am not losing interest in this story…just like I hope none of you are!**

**Thank you for all the love in the last chapter!**

**A quick couple of notes – this chapter and possibly the next will time just through it, this is just to get the story moving and not bore you all too much. Also can we just assume Tommy followed in his mother's footsteps and went to med school…but dropped out? Coz guess what – I am assuming this! Hehe**

**Please review! **

**Chapter 20 – No More Mask**

Oliver stepped on the rough carpet on the way to Felicity's office, he remembered the exact way even though he'd only been there once over the last 2 and half months of being home. What was different about this walk though was his slight over balance, the limp he had adopted after being caught up in a decent fight last night, four other guys and metal pipes hurt like a bitch when they connected with bone and muscle.

He smiled at those around him, mostly younger men who just watched him go, the woman staring as he continued down the hallway. Oliver may have grown up since being on the island but he still knew the way woman say him, he knew that if he wanted to, he could have any one of those women on their knees or their backs almost instantly.

But that was not what he was interested in, sure it'd be a while since he'd had sex but Oliver was not just about to jump into bed with someone. He did have an itch to scratch sure but not going to happen any time soon.

Turning the corner, Oliver smiled at the opened mouth shock of Felicity's co-workers, shocked to see him there as he stopped at her cubicle, leaning against the side of the wall as he watched her. Oliver smiled as she moved around, her pen to her lips, eyes focused on her computer and her right hand tapping by her side looking for something.

"You know, if you just looked at what you were doing, you'd find what you were looking for…" Oliver laughed when watched her jump out of her seat, dropping her pen and crying out.

"Jesus Christ Oliver! Must you do that? I thought you'd grown out of scaring me years ago." She glared at him as he moved further into her cubicle but her face dropped as she got a better look at him. "Oliver!" She was up and out of her chair instantly, her hand reaching for his face. "What happened?"

For a short moment Oliver relished in the feel of her hands on his face, the warmth of her skin against his. She had noticed the bruising on his face the moment the light had settle on him. It spread across his left cheek and around the side of his eye. It was deep, black and blue and very fresh. "I'm alright."

He reached for her hands, his wrapping around her wrists and held her in place for a second before letting them fall away, instantly missing her touch. "Oliver. What happened?"

She asked again, more sternly this time. Oliver placed his hands on her shoulders, "I told you I'm fine. It was stupid, I was quad biking with my buddy Kevin yesterday and I feel off. I promise, I'm alright." He rubbed her shoulders to try sooth any concerns she had.

Felicity eyed Oliver closely, she didn't know if she should believe him or not, he'd never lied to her before so he wouldn't really start now. "Quad biking?" Oliver nodded. "I didn't know you had a buddy named Kevin…" She really didn't but she didn't know all of his friends so maybe he did.

"Yeah. Come on, I'm hungry…" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her from the cubicle, they'd set a lunch date and he wanted to eat. Oliver was thankful that Felicity didn't question him anymore as they walked towards the diner they were going to.

But Oliver knew his excuses were getting worse and worse over the last few 6 weeks. First it was the story of how he got the slash on his neck – _"I cut myself shaving." _Then it was the bruising on jaw bone – _"Thea hit me by accident." _Then was the slip lip – _"I walked into the door at Verdant." _And the most recent was the limp he had after falling from a second story balcony – "_I feel down the stairs at the Mansion." _

His lies to Felicity were ridiculous and he knew it. She may be blonde but she wasn't that blonde but Oliver trusted that she wouldn't ask too many more questions.

Felicity Smoak is nothing if not persistent when there was something, she was presented with a mystery ad part of him wondered if he was ok if she found out his secret.

* * *

Oliver tracked up the stairs slowly, his movements didn't make a sound, there was no creaking on the old metal steps, there was no sounds of breathing as he lined up his bow as he went. He'd long since nocked an arrow into its home, the weapon ready should he need it.

Over the last few weeks, Oliver had set his sights on finding as many dealers as he could, each time he picked on off, two more would pop back up – it was getting frustrating but the most frustrating part was that no matter how many dealers he rounded up and left for the SCPD to collect, each time he would listen for the police and all he would hear was the vigilante. They didn't seem to care much about the dealers and the drugs as they did him.

He should have expected it really, he was new and interesting and they didn't like that someone else was doing their job but Oliver knew it needed to be done. On the island, he had promised himself that he would stop the drugs that were seeping onto the streets of his city and he thought he had but it was clear that it hadn't worked.

And the more information he gathered – which sadly wasn't too much, all pointed to the influx being allowed to happen because of the 1. The people Oliver would have called family and friends. The people who should have been using their wealth and standing to help to the city – not destroy it.

Before the island, Oliver didn't think too much about what was happening around him, he drank and partied and drove fast cars. He didn't think about where the money came from, he didn't think about where the drugs came from, how they got the pot they were smoking, granted Oliver never touched anything other than marijuana but he knew the hard stuff was around, at every party they went to, every night club they snuck into underage. It was there and easy to get.

He just never though anything of it.

But now he was back and he was going to make sure he righted every wrong that those people were involved in.

Movement to his left caught his attention and Oliver swung his bow towards the sound, it was faint but it was there. Moving slowly, he tracked the noise, listening for any changes he could. He tracked for another few minutes, turning corners and ducking under barriers, this was an older part of the Glades, mostly just old residences there were abandoned, perfect to drug dealers to hide.

There was a flash suddenly, movement of a shirt or jacket as Oliver stepped out from his hiding spot. "STOP!" He called out, his voice low and deep. The man froze instantly, turning to look towards Oliver. Thankfully the hood was low over his eyes, there was nothing that would give him away.

The man turned allowing Oliver to get a better look at him. He was the usual tweaked out dealer he had been dealing with over the last few weeks, he seemed more put together, surer of himself and his surroundings. Cocking an eyebrow, Oliver thought that this might be a chance to get some information out of him.

Taking three very quick steps together the guy, Oliver put his arrow back in his quiver before taking the man by the shirt, slamming him into the wall behind him, "Where is the Count!?" the deep growl set the man shaking but he still didn't not speak. "Where is Vertigo being made?" Oliver tired again but still got nothing. "WHO IS WORKING FOR THE COUNT?" Oliver was angry now, he hated being played.

With one quick shove against the wall, the dealer's hands came up to cover his face, "I don't know! I don't know where the Count is! I don't know where its being made!" He was shaking even more still, terrified of Oliver.

_Good_.

"Honestly I don't know anything!" Oliver hulled him from the wall, pushing him again, this time towards a window off to the side. The glass shattered as the Oliver slammed the dealer into it, forcing him to lean back over into the street. "Ok, ok! Alright! I don't know much! Please I don't want to die!"

Oliver growled, pulling the dealer from the window, hearing the glass tinkling against the timber floors of the old building. "Those kids didn't want to die either! Now tell me what you know!" Oliver pushed him to the ground, leering over him scarily.

The dealer curled into himself, his hand outstretched as if to try and keep Oliver away from him. "Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry. All I know is that the Families of Starling City have let this happen. Every one of them has turned a blind eye. They are using the drug to control the Glades; they say it makes it easier to control the people. They can get anything they want if the people are too strung out to want anything else but the drug."

Oliver pushed away from the dealer, his mind reeling. It was worse than what he thought. Swinging his bow to his side, Oliver started to make a track for the exit, he got all the information he needed from the dealer and now he needed to get out. "Wait!" Oliver stopped, turning on his heals to look at the dealer still on the floor.

"Robert Queen. He was involved before he died. But something changed, he started using Queen Consolidated against the Count instead of for the Count." Oliver's vision blurred. He expected his family to be involved somehow, more in the capacity of just not giving a damn but he never expected his father to be directly involved – for QC to be directly involved. Locking his jaw, Oliver quickly swung an arrow from his quiver, nocking it and pointing out the broken window. Seconds later, he was flying through the air out the window by the grappling hook that had embedded in the building next door.

* * *

Oliver paced the Foundry, the music thumping above him, he couldn't think, he couldn't let his own mind travel too far. The Families of Starling City – a name given to the 1, the richest of the rich, the billionaires, his family and their friends – they were the cause of Vertigo saturating the Glades and the city and his family, his father, was directly involved.

He was at a loss, completely unsure of what to do about anything anymore. He didn't know who he could trust or what he could trust. His computer skills were severely lacking, his capabilities surrounded the ability to disassemble his bike and put it back together – mechanics was something that he and his father had in common. Robert had left an old bike in the garage one day and Oliver had started to pull it apart to see if he could get it going again, he had found that he had a knack for it and quite enjoyed it.

Mechanics was something that hadn't left Oliver, granted he never really used it for anything good before the island.

His knowledge of computers was narrow at best, he could search for things – not using Google – Anatoly had taught him enough to keep him out of the cross hairs in the Bratva but this was beyond anything that Oliver could do. Groaning he glanced down at the time _2.46am_. He really didn't want to have to do this but he really didn't have a choice.

It was a calculated choice.

* * *

Felicity had lost track of time hours ago; she knew it was a Friday night but what time – of that she was not sure. It wasn't until her phone vibrated next to her, flashing with a blocked number a set of coordinates and a three-digit number _141_. Her fingers froze over the keyboard, her eyes settling on the blocked number once more and then flashing to the time _2.47am._

_Jeez how did she lose track of time so easily?_

She'd been working on her laptop for what was close to 8 hours since coming home from work, there was so much that had happened over the last 8 weeks or so, from Oliver coming home, to her moving back into her place to this vigilante that had suddenly appeared, to Oliver acting strange – well stranger than he usually did.

She knew that Oliver was adjusting back to life here in Starling, he was working through his anger at what had happened, at how life had changed and he was also trying to catch up on the things he had missed, the "_I've got three years of debauchery to catch up on" _as he liked to call it but Felicity could see that it was more than that, she could see something different behind his eyes.

The flashing of a message brought her attention back to her phone. It was the strangest thing, she never got blocked number text messages and she really hated mysteries. Groaning, she reached for her phone, her finger hovering over the message for a second before she pressed on it. After a moment of staring at the message, she ran two programs on her laptop – one to trace the blocked number on her phone and the other was to track the coordinates that were sent to her.

Her eyebrow arched when her trace program came back with no "information available", she had yet to find something she couldn't track down but her eyebrow raised even higher when the coordinates located a very, very familiar location.

Now this mystery just deepened, she had no idea what could have been so special about Verdant that some random number messaged her the coordinates but when her phone beeped once more _"I'm here" _it was enough to send her mind into overdrive. Throwing off the blanket she had wrapped around her waist, Felicity headed to her room, dressed in something warm and comfy.

She drove straight to Verdant, her mind split between the intrigue of who was messaging her and the craziness of all of this. She had no idea who had messaged her and what they wanted but there was a strong part of her that just knew she could trust her gut on this.

Pulling up the front of Verdant, she noticed that there were still people around, it was close to 3:30am so she wasn't surprised, they did close at 4am but it wasn't usual for this many people to still be there. Looking around Felicity looked down at her phone that was tracking the location. She made her way to the front entrance when she stopped, noticing that the little bleeping dot was at the back of the building.

Now her stomach dropped a little, it wanted her to go down the dark laneway in the middle of the Glades. Taking a deep breath, Felicity straightened her shoulders and made her way around the back of the building. In the distance she could hear the thumping of the base from Verdant, the darkness taking over the laneway. Swallowing, she stopped when she came to what seemed to be the same spot the dot was indicating. Looking around, Felicity noticed that at her right there was a small, dark stair case.

_This is how all horror movies start. Good one Felicity. Go out in the middle of the night, to the coordinates given to you by a strange number and no one knows that you are here. _

She turned to leave, this was not where she wanted to be, but as she did, she noticed that there was a small green light sitting on the side of the door down the staircase. She tilted her head, focusing on the keypad that looked way too new to have been part of the old building. Moving towards it, she took each step slowly, trying to listen out for any sounds of someone coming.

Lifting her hand to the keypad, she let her fingers brush over the numbers before instantly keying in the only number she could think of. _141_. Instantly she heard the telltale sound of the door clicking and swinging open slightly.

Looking behind her for a moment, Felicity moved into the room, the base still thumping above her but it wasn't loud, almost as though it was very much in the distance. As she made her way further inside the basement her eyes feel on the black motorbike that sat against its stand, just waiting for its owner. But the lights pulled her further, tables set up with what looked to be an old computer, the dim light lighting up the space in front of her.

Immediately her eyes were drawn to the row of arrows set up.

_The Vigilante. Oh god, I need to get out of here…_

But she couldn't stop herself from moving closer to them, they were lined up, 24 by her count, sharp and green. Instantly she wondered how she didn't know the vigilante had set up shop under her club, then she wondered why he had called here, it had to be him, who else would want her there?

Slowly she reached out to touch one of the arrows, lifting it in her fingers gently. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the steps behind her, didn't hear the movement and it wasn't until there was a squeak from a shoe did she jump, gasping out loud as she turned on her heals.

The arrow she held fell from her hands, rolling towards the towering person in front of her. He was huge, he stood tall and straight, good covering his face, she didn't know if he was angry or shocked to see her there. Her heart was thumping rapidly in her chest as she took a step back, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open.

But she cowered, trying to make herself smaller when the vigilante took a step towards her but his own hands came up, almost defensively. "I won't hurt you Felicity." His voice was deep, growly and some what distorted.

Felicity's body was shaking, she was terrified of the person standing in front of her, he looked like a statue, heavy and dark. Broad shoulders and a tight frame. "How…how do you know mt name?" It was a stupid question, clearly, he had messaged her earlier in the night so he must know her name but she didn't know what else to say.

She was backed up as far as she could get against the table behind her when he took a further step forward towards her, coming into the light, enough for her to see the dark green of his suit, the leather jacket and pants, the way it seemed to sit against his body well. "Because…you know my name…" The vigilante slowly lifted his hands to his hood, sitting on each side of his face, pushing the hood back slowly, his face suddenly visible.

Losing her breath, Felicity watched as the light shone on the face of one her best friends. The dark green paint around his eyes his some of his features but she could see, she could tell who he was.

"Oliver?"

Silence stretched between them as Oliver started to regret his decision, he knew he could trust Felicity with his secret but it was a different story now that he was here, in this room, with her standing in front of him.

It was very rare that Felicity was stunned silent but right now there just was nothing that she could say or think that would cover the situation. She opened her mouth and closed it again multiple times, her eyes blinking rapidly trying to get her mind to catch up with what she was seeing.

"Please say something…" Oliver's voice was low, very unsure of himself. He took a step close to Felicity, hoping it might be enough to break her from her focus on his and pull her out of her own mind.

But as he moved towards her, Felicity snapped, taking a step back from him on instinct, her butt hitting the table behind her. Oliver stopped mid step, a heartbroken look on his face. She was scared of him. Never had he ever thought there was a day that Oliver would see Felicity scared of him. Oliver's hands dropped to his sides, defeated as he looked at her. He lowered his eyes from her, he couldn't take the look on her face, the uneasiness in her eyes as she stared back at him.

Movement caught Oliver's attention, he looked up to find Felicity moving around the table behind her, his arrows lined up perfectly before moving around him – widely – to get to the computer behind him. But Oliver hadn't moved, he stayed still, he didn't want to scare her more just wanting to give her a chance to sort herself out. He just moved on the spot, following her as she moved.

"Everything just became unbelievably clear." Her voice was soft in the space, careful as though to not bring too much attention to herself.

Oliver watched as she ran her hands over the keyboard on the desk, taking in the world around her. Swallowing deeply, Oliver took the chance to question her, "I was thinking all of this would be more of a shock. Are you saying you called this all along?' He tried to lighten the mood a little, he wanted, _needed_ her to accept what he was telling her.

Felicity's head snapped up, her eyes a little softer than before, "I'm not saying anything, except you have dropped some fairly ridiculous lies on me recently Oliver. I may be blonde, but I'm not that blonde." She raised her eyebrow at him, challenging him to disagree but he never would. "Plus, I knew that all of this…" she motioned towards his body, his chest and the muscles underneath the suit, "…can't have just been from keeping yourself entertained on the island."

Oliver nodded towards her, he was answer what he could if she asked, but he was glad that she still assumed he was on the island the whole time. But her next question stopped him for a second.

Felicity had long since raise her fingers from the keyboard, resting them against her chest, almost as though she was holding herself together, "But why come to me?" He had been back for almost two months and the vigilante had been working for pretty much that whole time, so why would he suddenly come to her?

Oliver huffed out a laugh, that was a loaded question, "Hard as it is for me to admit, even I need help sometimes." He looked away quickly before glancing back up at her, relaxing a little when he saw a smirk on her own face and a raised eyebrow. Admitting he needed help was _never_ something that Oliver was good at, he also knew that Felicity relished in hearing it when he said it.

Felicity gave a short nod, moving around back around the room to the table she had originally come from but this time she leaned over, reaching for the bow that was place carefully in its case, almost on display for the world to see. Except it was just her and him. "This bow has put quite a few arrows in quite a few people…" She lifted it from the case, not even caring it he was protective over it something. Bringing it up to her eyeline, Felicity pulled back on the string, glancing over at Oliver as she did.

Oliver's shoulder dropped a little, he knew what the media thought of him, he was a murderer, he knew it and so did the rest of Starling, but he wasn't doing all of this because he wanted to be liked, "Yeah bad people." He couldn't help but defend himself, a little defensive to her comment.

Felicity raised her eyebrow, placing the bow back down very gently, "And that doesn't bother you?"

Oliver sighed, sitting back against the table behind him, "Felicity…Doing this – I am trying to help the people of this city - "

"-And the collateral damage?" She shot back just a quickly, but her voice was steady.

"There is always collateral damage in war." Oliver was just a quick in his reply, crossing his arms over his chest.

Silence fell on the two of them, Oliver trying to gauge what Felicity was thinking, Felicity trying to get her head around this new information. The only sound that broke the silence was the sudden beeping of the computer behind Oliver, the music from Verdant upstairs had long since stopped.

Oliver turned at the sound, his eyes flashing over the search that he had running, another dead end in the hunt for Adam Hunt. He groaned, frustrated that he was still coming up empty. He felt the pressure of a hand on his shoulder, pushing him out of the way of the computer, Felicity leaning over in his place. "What or who are you trying to look for?"

Oliver stood back, watching her for a second, this was why he had called her wasn't it? "Adam Hunt. I've found some information that puts him right in the middle of the manufacturing and distribution of Vertigo."

Felicity's head shot up, she had yet to ask him what he was even doing. She had assumed that he was just going after drug dealers but never thought that maybe there was more to it than that. At the confused look on her face, Oliver continued, "When I was…gone…I stumbled upon a drug plantation. They were growing the ingredients for make Vertigo and when shipping them here, where they are manufactured and sold throughout Starling City. This is the home of Vertigo and I plan to stop it. Adam Hunt is connected to it all. All I have is a name after him but I know that he can lead me to The Count."

Felicity nodded again, her fingers flashing to the keyboard once more, this time she typed away, different screens popped up, keystrokes requesting different information. But she sighed, "Your system looks like it's from the 80's and not the good part of the 80's like Madonna or you know, legwarmers."

She tuned to look at him, crossing her arms over her chest pointedly, "You are going to need a better set up, a better upgrade and a better running system. And you are going to need someone to set it up for you."

Oliver watched her closely, a very slight, small upturn of his lips happening, "It'll be a lot of work? Does that mean you're in?"

She scoffed, he always assumed so much from her, "You mean as I'm going to join your crusade?" He nodded, may as well just get the question out there. "Nope." He deflated a little at the finality of her answer.

"Then why do you want to upgrade my system?" He tilted his head to look at her, watching her closely.

"Because seeing a system set up this poorly, hurts me…in my soul. I will help you find Adam Hunt but that's it. After that, I want to go back to life as a boring IT girl. That's my offer. And Oliver I don't want anything to do with all of this if you keep killing people, there has to be another way." She could see the toll it was taking on him when he took a life, just by looking at him she could see the changes in him and she would do her best to keep those sorts of changes to a minimum.

Oliver studied Felicity for a second, did she really believe he could do things a different way? Could he be better than what he thought he was?

Slowly he held out his hand for her, smiling when she took it in agreeance. "Deal." They smiled at each other for a moment, knowing that this was not going to be as easy as that.

* * *

Felicity ran directly into the entrance of Verdant, she was shaking, her whole body raked with adrenaline and absolute fear. She needed help and she needed help now. She hoped that someone would be there but, in the end, she actually had no idea how she would explain this. It has been almost a month that she had been helping Oliver and sure he had come back with cuts and bruises and things that needed to be stitched up but this was different, this was life or death.

But she couldn't carry Oliver any further, he was heavy and had passed out just as they reached the doors. There was no way she could carry him down the stairs, through the door, into the Foundry and get him onto the medical table.

She vaguely heard the sound of the entrance door banging against the concrete wall outside but it didn't matter. Saving Oliver's life was the only thing that mattered to her.

She skidded onto the dance floor, the staff has long since left now that it was 6am but she hoped, just hoped that Tommy would still be around.

"Tommy!" She called out, her head whipping around hoping to see him. Now she panicked, she had no idea what she would do if he wasn't there. "TOMMY!" She tried again, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard the thumping of boots on the stairs coming down from the office.

"Felicity! What is going on? What's-" Tommy stopped at a skid in front of her, his eyes widening as he looked over her, blood had soaked her hands and her shirt, smeared over her neck. "Oh my God, are you ok?" Instantly he was at her, trying to seeing what was wrong with her.

Felicity pushed his hands away, "I'm fine but please, can you help? He's really heavy." She watched as Tommy scrunched his eyebrows at her but nodded, following her instantly back out the door and around the back of the bar.

"Felicity what is going on?" He was a few steps behind her, shocked when she stopped by the doorway he didn't know existed, crouching at something that was huddled against the way. It was still dark enough that he couldn't really see what was happening or who it was.

Felicity turned around to stare at Tommy, her hands resting against what he assumed was a person. "Please, I need you to help me get him up..." silently, Tommy nodded again, ignoring the sudden fear and anxiety that overcame him when he realised that at Felicity's feet was the vigilant. He froze for a second, "Tommy...please..." she begged him again, snapping him out of his shock.

It took only 3 more minutes before Tommy and Felicity had hauled up the vigilante - who still had his head down and hood covering his face - into the Foundry and onto the table waiting for them. Tommy watched as Felicity moved around, pulling bits and pieces from trolleys and trays and that's when Tommy snapped, realising that they were medical supplies she was grabbing.

This was then he took a better look at the man on the table, his head turned away still, there was blood dripping from a wound in his shoulder. Immediately, Tommy reached for him, his own hands crashing over the wound stopping the blood flow. His medical instincts kicked in, suddenly thankful that he'd at least done a few years of his medical training before dropping out.

"We need to stop the bleeding." Felicity rushes back to Tommy's side, swallowing deeply before she glanced at his side. Tommy watched as she reached for the vigilante's jacket unzipping it slowly before she reached for the hood.

Tommy felt like he had been kicked in the guts, the slow movement of Felicity's hands gave Tommy full view of the injured vigilante on the table. His best friends face staring back at him. "Ollie? What?"

But Felicity shook her head, pushing him away briefly to pull the jacket from his body, throwing it on the floor and leaving Oliver bare chest and bleeding out. "Tommy please..." she wrapped her hand around his wrist, begging him to help, Tommy looked down at her hand, tightly holding onto him, the red stain of Oliver's blood staring back at him.

And so, he did, together they worked to stabilise him, he had been shot in the chest, just below the collar bone and he was bleeding, heavily. Felicity may have learned how to stitch up cut and gashes but this was different, this was something that she couldn't wing her way through.

The silence between the two was deafening as they worked, Felicity knew Tommy would be full of questions the moment they were done. After about 20 minutes they'd finally stopped the bleeding, removed the bullet from below his collar bone, Oliver's heart rate had steadied and they've been able to stitch up the wound.

A deep sigh of relief was heard from both of them through the Foundry, the severity of the situation catching up to them both.

Oliver had almost died.

But now Tommy had questions. Spinning on his heals, Tommy found Felicity sitting at a very elaborate computer set up, multiple screens, flashes of searches and beeping echoing through the large room, it was clear that she has set this up which mean she had been working with Oliver for a while. He just watched her, too shocked to really say anything.

With a few keystrokes, the largest screen in front of Felicity, the news coming to life.

"_And in other news, police have confirmed that Starling City business mogul Adam Hunt has had a run in with the Starling City vigilante. It seems as though the Hood found reason to approach Hunt."_

"_As previously reported, Hunt has been linked to the most recent deaths of young people in the Starling City night life. It is unknown of the outcome but there are unconfirmed reports that the Hood was injured in the confrontation however, Hunt remains unharmed. We will bring you more on this story as it-"_

Felicity groaned, switching off the TV screen and flicking to another, "He was injured and the police did find a blood sample but oops…some poor intern has just had it destroyed." She sounded proud of herself and a little smug to.

But that was until Felicity turned in her chair, her smile falling from her lips when she saw the look on Tommy's face. "So…" She was going to push him, it was better they have this argument now with Oliver asleep than awake because when he was awake, they would be having their own argument.

Tommy opened his mouth and then closed it, doing that once or twice more until he exploded. Felicity had never, in her entire life actually seen Tommy this angry. "Felicity what the _fuck_ is going on!?" He stepped closer to her chair, Felicity visibly wincing as the loud voice that echoed through the Foundry. "This is unbelievable! Like you can't be serious about all this right, now can you? Think about this-"

"I have thought about this Tommy. It's not as bad as you think-" By this point, Felicity had made her way to Oliver' side, her hand ghosting over his face as he slept.

"Not as bad as I think? Felicity he is a murderer!"

This caused Felicity to spin on her heels, tight and angry look on her face, "He is not a murderer Tommy. He is trying to help this city! He is doing things differently now. I would never have agreed to help him if he didn't."

Tommy couldn't believe what Felicity was saying, she actually believed that Oliver – the vigilante – was doing good. Shaking his head, he moved as far from her as he possible could, finding himself by Oliver's bow and arrows set up. He placed both his hands face down on the table and leaned over, trying to hold his anger in. He could hear Felicity moving back to her seat, the sound of keys typing away filled the Foundry for the next long while.

The sound of Oliver groaning caught Felicity's attention, she turned in her seat and rushed to his side, thankful that Tommy was on the other side of the room and out of Oliver's view for the time being, "Oliver…" she breathed, crouching by his side with a hand on his cheek,

Oliver signed into the hand before slowly rolling before sitting up, "Guess I didn't die…again. Cool." He huffed a small laugh but Felicity's glare halted that instantly. He reached out for her hand holding her wrist gently, "Hey, I'm fine. I promised you I would be fine and I am."

"Yeah well, you almost weren't fine."

Oliver knew that deep voice, he would recognize it anywhere. Slowly Oliver stood from the table and Felicity was given a stark reminder of how big he actually was, how much taller and wider than her he actually was. "You told him who I am?"

If angry and yelling Oliver scared Felicity – then softly spoken, furious Oliver was scarier, but Felicity held her ground. She would never apologize for saving Oliver's life. "Yeah I did."

Her honestly stumped him from a minute, his back straightening, although it seemed a struggle to do, his body still getting over the shock of his injury. "It's not your secret to tell Felicity. I decide who finds out my identity."

But she doubled down, crossing her arms over chest, trying to make herself bigger, "Well I didn't have time to get your vote what with you unconscious and dying. How is this any different to you telling _me_?"

That set Oliver off, his voice raising instantly, "The difference is that I made a plan to tell you! I don't just tell people easily."

Tommy stepped up suddenly, he didn't like how Oliver was talking to Felicity and didn't like being ignored, "Hey! Stop being a jerk! You should be thanking Felicity. She saved your life." Tommy and Felicity watched as Oliver deflated after a moment, his body sagging and leaning against the med table.

"Oliver…" Felicity came to stand in front of him, her fingers resting against his forearms. Tommy was tempted to get in between them, protecting Felicity but it seemed that she was calming Oliver down, something that she had always been able to do. "…I did what I thought was right Oliver. After you passed out, I couldn't carry you anymore and I'm sorry but I will _not_ apologize for saving your life or asking Tommy for help doing it." Her hands slipped from his forearms before she turned away from him, her heels clicking on the concrete floors. She was headed for the back door, she needed air and he would give it to her, he would always give it to her no matter how angry he was at her.

"You really did lose your mind on that island." Tommy spoke again, disgust in his voice at the thought of what Oliver was doing. That his best friend was a murdering vigilante.

Oliver sighed deeply as he pushed away from the table, reaching for the grey hoodie that sat on the back of Felicity's chair, slipping it on. "Found a few things along the way."

Tommy scoffed, now was not the time Oliver Queen's flippancy, "Like what? Archery classes?" He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with Oliver.

Oliver shook his head, his body settle back into itself, "Like clarity." Oliver knew what he was doing, he knew what he was doing was right. "Starling City is dying; it is being poisoned by a criminal elite who don't care who they hurt as long as they maintain their wealth and power." It disgusted him that in that sentence he would even drop his own family name into. Robert Queen had more to do with all of this than he a) cared to admit and b) actually knew.

Tommy looked at Oliver incredulously, "And what are you going to do? Take them all down by your lonesome? Oliver you're are not a solider. You're a criminal and a murderer." The words echoed through the vast and empty Foundry.

Tommy was angry, he was furious and disgusted and frustrated. "Oliver what you are doing is bad. What the hell have you become because this…" he motioned to Oliver and the Foundry around him, "…this is insane and you are even more insane for bringing Felicity into this!" Tommy pushed himself past Oliver, his shoulder bumping into Oliver's harshly before making his way to the same door that Felicity had already left from.

Oliver was left in silence, his body protesting about being upright and his mind reeling from the anger he saw in Felicity's eyes and the pain of what Tommy thought of him. _Murderer._ _Criminal._


	21. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Ok I know – we miss Dig, I debated on bringing him in because I wanted to focus on Tommy, Felicity and Oliver but you guys trust me right? Hehe**

**Thank you for the love from the last chapter, I am so glad you are all enjoying this still. I promise it'll move a little more quickly now and bring about the fun parts that I have always had planned. **

**Chapter 21 – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

Oliver stood inside the busy police station, officers moving around him, criminals sitting on seats and the phones buzzing continuously. He was told to wait by Detective Lance's desk and so that was what he was doing. He would wait out his time before the Detective came back in. And in that time – he would place the role of Oliver Queen, hands in pockets looking like he owned the place unfazed by the world around him but in the back of his mind he would be listening to that goings on around him. Trying to get a hint of the action, something that might pique the interest of the vigilante inside of him.

Or something that might let him know that someone was onto him _as_ the vigilante.

As he stood by Lance's desk – Oliver looked over it, there were pens and a computer that looked like it was barely used. A stack of files sitting off to the side, paper everywhere. Oliver wondered how Lance got anything done but at the same time, he knew how hard the detective worked and how good he was as a cop.

As Oliver went to turn to face away from the desk, something caught his eye. A file sitting under a small pile, he almost missed it, almost ignored it but there was just something about it that stood out to him. It was different, more worn out than the rest maybe? He didn't really know – but there was something.

Slowly he reached out, slipping the file from under the others, making sure not to disturb too much of the rest of the desk. He had no idea what was in it that called him to it but it did. Flipping open the file, Oliver took a sharp breath in, the first thing he noticed was the name – _Felicity Smoak_ – he felt his heart drop to his feet and he felt sick to his stomach.

Scrunching his brow, Oliver started to skim past the words to the pictures that were there. The first was of Felicity's face. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed grey and sad, she wasn't staring at the camera, staring far past it. Her right eye was black and blue, her lip was split, bloodied and red. She had a cut on her forehead that had been freshly stitched.

As he flipped through the photos, one after another of bruising over her arms, chest, stomach, a picture of her wrist in a splint and her ribs bandaged, her hands showing him that she had fought back, that she had scratched him, she had put up one hell of a fight. For the first time in a long time, Oliver couldn't control his breathing, the images of Felicity staring back at him were painful and sickening. What the hell had happened to her and why hadn't they said anything to him?

Oliver couldn't bring his eyes away from the images, it was like a train wreck that he couldn't stop watching, his eyes dilated and focussed on the horrific image after another. With shaking hands, Oliver flipped the image over, finding the doctors report; he had to swallow down the bile that had built in his throat, the feel of being sick to his stomach.

His eyes scanned over the document, _broken ribs, sprained wrist, _all things that she has hold him about already, _abrasions over 40%_ of her body, consisting of _scratches and bruising, the cut on her forehead needing 15 stitches__. _Oliver's eyes were so focussed on the papers in his hand he didn't hear Lance call his name, trying to get his attention from in front of him.

Oliver's eyes snapped up at the hand that came out in front of him, his whole body jerking back. "Queen, it's alright…" Lance held his hands up in surrender, clearly seeing the file in his hands. Lance reached out again once more, taking the file from his hands and closing it. "She's alright Queen…"

Lance took in the Oliver Queen standing in front of him. The pain and broken look on his face, the heartbreaking realisation that one of his best friends had been hurt. For the first time in a long time Quinten Lance looked at the young man in front of him and saw Oliver Queen, saw a young man who had caused so much hurt but then had been forced to grown up suddenly.

He finally saw Oliver as a man, as a broken young man. He was seeing a man who had lost so much in his life – he had lost 3 years, 3 years where the world around him, his friends and family, all moved on. A man who had been left behind by the world. This was not the boy that broke his daughters' heart or caused his other daughter to run off and never be heard from again.

This man in front of him was different, jaded and haunted, broken. This was not the boy he hated, the boy he wished had never returned this was a man that Lance wanted to help, a man who Lance wanted to protect from anymore pain.

"Oliver…son…" He motioned for Oliver to sit on the chair by his desk as he sat in his own seat, placing the file on the desk. There was silence between them for a moment, Oliver processing what he had just seen. "She is ok. Always remember that." Oliver just nodded, zoning out on the noise around him, focusing on Lance, "Tommy Merlyn kept her safe, he looked out for her as best he could. He kept her safe."

And that was what he needed to know – that Tommy had been there for Felicity. Looking up at Lance, Oliver just nodded before moving from the chair and headed out of the station. He needed air, he needed to think and process the images of her and the knowledge that someone had done that to her.

Oliver never stuck around to know who it was that did that that to her, he honestly didn't know if he would have been able to control himself in the station if he had known the name of the person who hurt her.

He had no idea how he got to Verdant – he didn't remember getting on his bike, riding through the city or how he even got in the entrance doors of the club – all he remembered was that he was suddenly standing in front of Tommy, who was behind the bar with a towel in one hand and glass in the other.

Things had been strained between the two men, ever since Tommy had found of Oliver's secret, neither really saying much to the other. Oliver wanted to give Tommy space, he didn't want to push him and Tommy had steered clear of Oliver, needing his own space to sort out his feelings. But right now, after more than two weeks of never being in the same room together without at least Felicity around, Oliver stood in the middle of the club with just Tommy around.

Tommy looked up at the sound of the entrance door banging heavily, he hadn't expected anyone else to be there, Felicity would be in later that night to do her _other _job and his staff didn't start for another few hours. So, it was a shock to see Oliver standing there.

He almost ignored him, wanting to drop his eyes and pretend that he wasn't there but the flat look on Oliver's face stopped him in his tracks, the glass in his hand placed gently down on the bar surface. Tommy looked over Oliver, his shoulders were tensed but sagging, his face stoic but incredibly sad.

There was something different about him, a different look in his eyes, the look of a _broken man._ "Ollie?" His voice was soft, almost as though he didn't want to startle a caged animal. After a moment more of silence, Tommy moved to stand in front of Oliver, noticing that he wasn't really look at Tommy in the eyes but it was as though he was looking past him. Slowly he reached out and placed his hand on Oliver's arm.

Oliver blinked, his head snapping up to look at Tommy straight, his face slackening a little. Oliver swallowed, not sure what to say but looking at Tommy he realised that he owed this man, he owned him his life to protecting Felicity, his best friend. Clearing his throat, Oliver smiled a little, "Thank you Tommy…"

Tommy scrunched his brow up, a little confused about what Oliver was talking about, of all things, Tommy next expected a _thank you _from Oliver. Shaking his head, Tommy tried to show that he didn't know what was going on.

"You, ah…Felicity…I saw Detective Lance – her file…" Oliver was speaking in broken sentences but it was enough for Tommy to get the idea of what Oliver was talking about. He knew, Oliver knew about Felicity and what happened.

"How much did he tell you?" Tommy swallowed – he didn't want to rehash anything that Oliver already knew.

Oliver moved towards the bar stools, the heels of his hands rubbed against his eyes, he was suddenly very, very tired. "I just saw the photos – he didn't say much. I guess I didn't really want to hear it then." He shrugged, feeling Tommy move back around the bar, hearing the fridge door open and close before the came back around to sit down next to Oliver, popping the lid off the beers.

After a long swig of his drink, Tommy sighed, he knew he had to tell Oliver. "About 2 years ago Felicity started dating a guy she met when she was at MIT, the had reconnected and well – you know. Anyway, we started noticing small things, at first, I went to her place because she said she was sick. There was broken glass and the picture she had of the three of us was gone. It got worse – sprained wrists and hospital visits."

Tommy watched as Oliver paled significantly, but he kept going, "Laurel and I, we tried to get her to tell us what was happening but you know what Felicity is like, she is stubborn and just wanted us both to let it go," Laurel had helped? That shocked Oliver, he wouldn't have expected Laurel to have any interest in helping anyone who was friends with him but at the same time, he wanted to hug her to thank her for trying.

"One night I got a phone call, that she was at the hospital. He…he'd done a number on her man, she never really told me why but she broke down – finally spoke to Lance and agreed to move in with me. She still doesn't know where he is, she runs tracks on him every now and then but she doesn't know where he is. That was the main reason she came to live with me."

Oliver nodded, that was all he really needed or wanted to hear, it suddenly all made sense, "That's why you stayed the night after my welcome home party…"

Tommy nodded slowly, "She'd been staying with my for about 6 months in the end and that was the first might back in her own apartment. She tried but I guess it got too much and she called me. That's why you saw me there that morning." There was something about this conversation, it settled them – bringing them to a point where they were on the same page but there was still no conversation about the elephant in the room.

"Thank you, Tommy. Before I left, I asked you to look after Felicity and you did that. You kept her safe and I can't thank you enough for that." Oliver turned in his seat fully to look at Tommy, his own beer in his hands. This was common ground, enough to keep them civil.

Silence fell over them both, drinking their beers ands and just waiting for night to fall. They weren't anywhere near being ok with what Oliver did and Tommy was still angry about it all – he had yet to reconcile those two sides of his best friend but when it came to Felicity – they would always be on the same side.

* * *

Felicity spun on her chair, a little excited about the information she had finally found – she had heard Oliver coming down the stairs about an hour before but she had been so engrossed in her computers that she hadn't turned to look at him but now she had information that she knew he would be excited to know.

She stood quickly, moving towards the training mats where he was set up, shirtless – always shirtless, seriously he was really pushing her with her feelings for him, feelings she had refused to acknowledge since he had come home. He was in the middle of a gruelling set up push-ups, one handed and it seemed as though he was punishing himself for something. "So…I found something you are going to be happy to hear…"

Hearing her voice, Oliver stopped mid push-up, he waited before looking up at her. It was the first time she had seen him looking at her since she had come in that night but as soon as she had, she knew he knew. Felicity's face fell, her shoulders dropping and eyes finding the floor. "Please Oliver…I don't really want to talk about it right now…" She was hiding herself, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, silently begging him to just not ask.

And he didn't, he knew enough about pain and wanting to ignore the problem that he wouldn't push her instead he reached out slowly, placing his hand on her shoulder, "I am always here when you want to…" She just smiled lightly nodding before turning away, motioning for him to follow.

Swallowing, Felicity sat back down on her chair, "So I found Adam Hunt." Oliver blinked, he knew she had been working so hard to find him and had been coming up empty so to finally have some information on him was big. Like crack the case big.

"Adam Hunt, Starling City night life mogul and every day bad guy…" Felicity clicked a few times on her keyboard and his face popped up, a few flashes of searching as well. "I found him hiding at the docks. He has been working under the name _Adrien Walker, _I couldn't find much at all on him, that's why it was so suspicious."

Felicity watched as Oliver reached for his bow, he was going to take down Adam Hunt once and for all and then he would go after the Count. He would do everything in his power to take down the Count and rid Starling City of Vertigo.

"Wait…I have an idea." Felicity was now standing in front of him, a small smile on her lips. Oliver turned to face her, "Well you said that QC was involved somehow in Vertigo and the Count so I was thinking – now that we have a location for Adam Hunt, you take a tracking bugged very large bag of that money you have excessive amounts of, head down to the docs as Oliver Queen, play the playboy billionaire night club owner who wants his partygoers to have an even better time, slip in a comment about how the Count and QC could work together again and boom – we will have a location on where the money goes and get an in with the Count. Plus, we might find out more about how QC has been involved because I gotta say – whatever was going on there, there wasn't any computer records of it."

Oliver thought for a moment, he really didn't want to bring QC back into this mess, more than it already had and they had yet to find out any real information about how they were originally involved. Maybe this could work out. "Well it's not typically how I get my information but we can try it your way."

And so that is how Oliver Queen found himself dressed in his most expensive suit, standing on the side of the freezing docs with a large bag of more cash money than he had ever actually seen. Felicity had set up the meet – a source who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone was happy to help expand the brand of Vertigo and was happy that Oliver wanted to join in.

In front of him was Adam Hunt, his men flanking at his sides. "Now I understand you wish to participate in the feel-good business." The man smirked; he had an air about him that Oliver couldn't wait to bring down a few pegs.

But Oliver just smirked back, bringing out the playboy billionaire, Well I own a club and I'd like my customers to have a little…something extra…besides I'd heard rumour my father's company was involved at a time and I would like to expand the partnership." Saying those words were enough to make Oliver sick but he had to sell it, had to make sure that Hunt believed it.

Hunt looked over at Oliver, taking him in, eyeing him up. "Forgive me but you are not the boy you once were, Mr. Queen. You are now a businessman and I believe that all good businessmen know the value of the product. Something your father did not." With one hand Hunt reached out to shake Oliver's with the other, Oliver held out the bag of money, thankful that this meeting out be over in a matter of minutes.

As the handshake happened the sound of screeching tired split through the night, the flashing red and blue lights of the police cars and the shouts from the police themselves. "It's the cops! GO!" Hunt turned to his men, yanking the bag of money from Oliver – albeit Oliver didn't let it go and in the midst of the cops turning up and everyone running, Oliver wasn't able to put the extra tracker on Hunt as he planned to. He quickly ducked towards a building thankful the cops hadn't seen him or at least hadn't bothered to follow. All he heard was the shouting of the police and the tell-tale voice of Adam Hunt, "YOU SET ME UP!"

Oliver swallowed deeply, rushing from the scene as quick as he could. He could not be seen as Oliver Queen, making a money exchange with a known drug lord. He had to get out of there.

* * *

"You told Oliver?" Felicity stood by the side of the bar, her arms crossed over her chest, eyebrow raised. She had heard that Oliver was on his way back from the meet and so it gave her a few minutes to head upstairs to interrogate Tommy.

Tommy looked up from the drink he was making, she looked pissed and he could see the small ear piece in her ear that told her that Oliver was out there somewhere – doing something he didn't want to know about.

Tommy knew exactly what Felicity was talking about, they had talked about telling Oliver about Felicity and Cooper but she had made him promise _not_ to say anything at all. Tommy put his hands up in surrender, placing the glass and the towel down. "Hey, hey. No, I didn't tell Oliver anything." He motioned for Felicity to moved towards the side of the bar – a small corridor that lead to the old door that would gone down to Oliver's liar if the door wasn't stuck.

"I never told Oliver anything ok." He placed his hands on her shoulders, levelling her with a look. "Oliver went to see Lance about something. He said he found your file. I don't know how much Lance told him but when he got back here, we didn't really talk about it, I just gave him the basic info. He just thanked me for helping you. I promised you I wouldn't tell him anything and I haven't but I think I think it's time you do."

Felicity dropped her eyes from him, she knew they had to have that conversation and they needed to have it soon or else it would just drive him crazy. He was upset that she didn't want to talk about it before and she didn't blame him for that but she also knew he wouldn't push her. Nodding, Felicity moved away from Tommy, she was still a little upset with him – he should have told her that Oliver knew, so she didn't just see him and _know_. She needed to work herself up for that conversation.

It didn't take her long before Felicity found herself back at her desk, typing away at her computer and setting up any information that Oliver would want to know. It had become very quiet in the Foundry and it gave Felicity the chance to think. She thought about her time as Oliver's friend, her time when he was missing and she thought he was dead, the time when her heart would beat rapidly (who was she kidding, her heart still beat rapidly when she thought of Oliver) and she thought about her time with Cooper and the pain she had gone through.

She also thought about how Oliver had trusted her with something so dangerous and something so close to his heart, something that could get him killed or imprisoned but he trusted her with that, trusted her to help him and to keep him safe.

So maybe she needed to return the trust. Oliver Queen had always been by her side, he had held her up and helped her when she needed help and in the quiet of the Foundry, Felicity knew that she needed trust him and so she moved from her desk, headed over to the case where he held his bow and waited.

It wasn't long before she heard the beeping of the lock on the side door, the thumping of his shoes on the concrete floors, _oh he was pissed_. She knew why he was pissed; the cops had shown up when they weren't supposed to, they had been radio silent the whole time about that sting so there was no way that she could tell Oliver they were coming.

"How did the cops know!?" he was frustrated, they had done so much work to find Adam Hunt and he was just gone. "How did they know we were meeting?" Groaning deeply, Oliver placed the bag on the floor, dropping it with a thud against the hard floors. At first he didn't even noticing that she was sitting quietly by the table and not her desk.

She stayed silent, waiting for him to relax a little, after a moment he noticed her standing there, a gently look on her face, Oliver sighed, dropping his head, his hands on the desk. "I just…we need to find him." Felicity nodded, still staying quiet. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and spoke

"Hey, I'm going to go home…but how about I meet you for some late dinner at Big Belly…" She was telling him, not asking him and he knew that so with a silent nod, Oliver watched as Felicity made her way up the back door of the club and into the night. Thankfully it was only around 8pm so there were still people around that she didn't have to worry about walking in the dark on her own.

She hoped that maybe the change of scenery would help to clear his head from the previous misfortunes of his mission and give her some confidence to tell her story.

* * *

Oliver sat at the window bar stool of Big Belly watching as the rain started to fall heavier, it was now just after 9pm and his frustrations has settled down – just a little bit. Since Felicity had left the Foundry, he had taken time to work out some of his frustrations and then showered before heading to meet her. Usually he wouldn't have just let her go, they still had work to do, but he could her head was in a different space and he knew he didn't have to rush the rest of the work. It wasn't going to change anything tonight, he wasn't going to go back out tonight, especially with the storm that had started to roll in.

There was still something deep down inside of him, that even after being back from almost 6 months, that would be sent back to that island when a storm rolled through Starling City. He was brought back to that island, hiding in the corner of the shelter to try and escape the cold winds or harsh rain, covering his ears and eyes to try and keep the thundering and flashing lights at bay.

He'd been sitting at Big Belly for about 10 minutes, his eyes unfocused as he stared into space, thinking about Felicity and everything else that had been happening. He thought about all the times the memory of Felicity had gotten him through the days and how looking at her now that he was back brought back those feeling's he had for her before he left on the Gambit.

He had fallen in love with Felicity, he still was but he couldn't be what she needed, couldn't be what was best for her, he knew that, he thought it every time he put an arrow in someone. She deserved to be safe and happy and being with him would not keep her safe. Being with her would make her unsafe and he couldn't bear to think about what could happen to her, it was bad enough that she was helping him now.

Oliver blinked away from his memories when he saw her walking past the window, her coat pulled close to her body, keeping the cold wind out. He raised his hand slowly, giving her a small wave and a smile – one that she did not return – but she rushed into the diner, trying to stay out of the rain. "Hi." he smiled when she stood in front of him, small droplets of water on her eyelashes. She was adorably beautiful.

"Hi." Felicity held the coat closer to her, liked she was holding herself up. "Thanks for meetings me. I was…nervous you wouldn't come." She was playing with the buttons on her coat, he could tell she was suddenly very nervous around him, something that she usually wasn't.

Oliver scrunched his brow, reaching out for her hand gently, "Ok…"

Felicity reached for him with her own hand, it was cold against his warm hand as it had been hidden away in his own coat. She turned slowly and led him to a booth on the furthest side of the diner, taking a seat with him by her side, she wouldn't let go of his hand just yet. "This thing is, I've been debating on whether or not share this with you for weeks."

Oliver turned to his side, looking at Felicity's profile, there was a sadness in her eyes that he had only seen a few things recently, she had become quite good at hide herself from him. "You can trust me Felicity." He spoke softly, taking her hand in his again after she had dropped it to rest against her own leg.

Felicity sighed, squeezing his hand gently, "You know – before you told me about _him_ you dropped some fairly ridiculous lies on me and I knew you were lying to me because you'd never lied to me before,_ ever_ and yet I still feel like I could trust you. Why is that?" Felicity really had hated that Oliver had been lying to her. There was never a time in their friendship that Oliver had lied to her and it really bothered her that he did.

Oliver smirked, his _Ollie Queen_ smirk, also something he never did to her, "I have one of those faces…"

But Felicity sighed, dropping her head and pulling her hand away from his, now was not the time for his crap. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever lied to you Felicity; it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. You can trust me."

She waited a moment, lifting her head again to take him in, he looked so serious and sad that he had upset her. After a moment more of silence, Felicity turned in her seat and looked at him, "Then I have something to tell you." Oliver nodded, he would wait, let he speak for as long as she could, he held her hand still in his, rubbing it gently with his numb.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity began, "I met Cooper at MIT it wasn't long after you had…disappeared…but as you could imagine I wasn't interested in anything really, I was barely holding myself together without you here, I was really not interested in a relationship." Oliver nodded, encouraging her to continue, "Anyway…we met up again about 18 months after you had disappeared and we connected. And soon we were together all the time. It was really nice…until it wasn't."

Oliver didn't know what to expect from this conversation but he never expected that he would be sitting opposite Felicity hearing her tell the story of how she was in an abusive relationship. Had he thought about her being jumped in an alley or something but never her injuries from someone who was supposed to care about her but then he remembered what little information Tommy had told him and he realised that it was worse than what he thought.

"It was little digs at first, comments here and there, blaming me for things that can't have been my fault or just little jibs." Felicity rubbed her forehead with her free hand, feeling Oliver hold her other one tightly. "He was jealous, Tommy and I were so close – still are – but he didn't like me spending time with him and so he would take it out on me. The first time he hit me, he had come back to my apartment one night and saw me looking at the photo of the three of us."

She leaned into his side, that old photo of him had gotten her through some rough times. "Tommy had a copy of it blown up for me after your funeral, had it framed for me too. He broke the photo and lost it. Tommy had come over the next day when I didn't go to have lunch with him. I brushed it off. And then I brushed him off the first time I was in hospital too."

Oliver moved his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his other hand retaking hers. "Anyway Oliver…it got worse and the second time I ended up in hospital – about 6 months before you came home – I had made the decision to leave, leave him and my own home. But he caught me and well you saw the photos." She shrugged against him. "Tommy came to the hospital; Detective Lance was there. I went to stay with Tommy for a while after that, Cooper had taken off, we didn't know where he was and we thought it was safer that I was at least somewhere he couldn't get to me at least."

Felicity was exhausted, Oliver could tell how she fell against him, her head resting against his shoulder. He hadn't spoken since they had sat down, he wanted to give her all the time she needed. It was obvious she felt more comfortable in this setting, no pressure of the Foundry or her apartment. Neutral ground.

"Tommy…he said that he went back to your apartment with Laurel to get your stuff. Said that Cooper was still there…" Felicity looked up at him suddenly, she didn't know that Cooper was there, she knew that Tommy and Laurel had gone to her apartment but nothing else. Tilting her head, she looked at Oliver, encouraging him to continue. "Ah…he said that Cooper didn't know how to fight back against someone his own size."

Felicity's mouth dropped open into an "oh" shape, she had no idea that Tommy had done that. She had to remember to thank him for it. She honestly would have loved to see Cooper get beaten up by Tommy. She could feel Oliver's body tightening against her, his own anger at what had happened taking over. "Hey…" she touched his face gently, "I'm ok. I promise." Oliver looked down at her, taking in her face, settling on her lips for a moment.

In any other situation, he would have been desperate to drop his head a little and touch his lips to hers but wouldn't to that – not after what he had just told her. And so he just smiled down at her, his eyes soft as they settled into a comfortable silence, still wrapped around each other.

* * *

"Ah Oliver…what's going on?" Felicity stood in the middle of Verdant, her head tilted to the side as she watched Oliver and Tommy sit opposite a large man with dark skin and shoulders that went on forever. Slowly the other man turned to face her, smiling warmly at the smaller woman who was just confused.

It was early on a Sunday afternoon – no staff had arrived as yet.

Tommy stood quickly, he wasn't too sure of Oliver's idea but at the same time he liked the idea of having more security around the place and not just some kid they'd hired to make sure that the drunks were kicked out – this was a chance to make sure that Felicity was safe as well.

But Oliver jumped in before Tommy could say anything, "This is John Diggle. We are hiring a new head of security." Felicity shifted her gaze to Oliver, narrowing it instantly. They never hired anyone new without at least letting Felicity know it needed to be done. Mostly because she would run all the background checks and the necessary information they would need. "Diggle has a background in the military, 105th airborne in Kandahar."

Oliver had moved quickly towards Felicity; his hands outstretched to try and show that it wasn't as bad as it sounded. "And besides – I would feel more comfortable knowing that he is here if you are and I can't be here." Felicity's eyes hardened, she didn't want a babysitter, she didn't need a babysitter.

"Felicity I understand you don't need a babysitter but please…this is something I need." She groaned, rolling her eyes before moving around Oliver, she could be grumpy with him later but she needed to at least greet Mr. Diggle.

She came to stand at his side, noting that she still really did come to line up with his head while he was sitting down, she raised her hand to him, "Nice to meet you Mr. Diggle – I'm one of the other owners here and it seems you babysitting assignment." She flashed a glance to Tommy and found that Oliver had come back to his seat next to Tommy.

Diggle shook Felicity's hand gently, a soft smile coming to his face. "Nice to meet you Felicity, you can call me Diggle or Dig if you like – or John. And please I'm not here to be anyone's babysitter but it is clear to me that these two men care about you deeply and from what I've been told-" Felicity flashed another angry glare towards her other two best friends, she was going to be very grumpy when Diggle was gone, Tommy at least had the knowledge to look a little shy and ashamed but Oliver just kept his face straight – he would not apologise to making sure she was safe. "I'm here to make sure the club is looked after and that _everyone_ is safe."

Diggle knew what it was like to protect someone who didn't want to be protected and he would not follow her around but he also understood the boys' concerns. Oliver spoke softly, his hand reaching for her shoulder, he needed her to understand. "Felicity, it's just while we are here…please…there are too many people coming and going from the club for just me and Tommy to make sure he doesn't come in."

Ok fine – she could understand that but at the same time when she was in the club and Oliver wasn't there, she was usually under the bar, locked in a room that on one but her, Oliver and Tommy knew about. She was safe there but at the same time, she did spend time in the club upstairs and there were lots of people there.

Sighing, Felicity nodded, she turned back to settle into conversation with the three men when a loud explosion echoed through the empty club, the loud onslaught of shouting and gun fire assaulting the senses. Felicity let out a shriek, not realising that she had been grabbed and hauled behind the bar, crouching in position as Tommy was all but thrown to her side, his arms coming around her instinctively. She had seen Oliver grab Tommy by the front of the shirt, she had seen him basically toss Tommy to safety like a rag doll.

Well if John Diggle was supposed to be keeping her safe – he had already lived up to that expectation.

**You guys trusted me right?**


	22. How Can It Hurt?

**Yeah I know I'm so sorry this has taken so long! I've been trying to get it finished and then I got stuck on the first scene and it just didn't feel right. **

**BUT here it is! I hope you enjoy it and please, please! Let me know what you all think **

**Chapter 22 – How much can it hurt?**

Oliver rushed towards the side of one of the men who had stormed into the club, crash tackling him to the ground, their bodies tangling as Oliver landed a thumping fist to the thug's face, knocking him unconscious while the gun rattle to the floor. He could hear the echoing of bullets through the empty club, Felicity crying out in the back of the bar, sending him into more of a rage as he fought against the attackers.

He rose instantly, finding his next target, hit after hit, he landed each of them precisely where he needed them to go, stopping the attach as they came. He found their weaknesses, knee's, shoulder's, elbows. Anything he could pick off from their attacks towards him, anything that would keep them all safe and away from the Felicity and Tommy.

This was what he did and what he did best. Oliver wasn't stupid, he knew that this was why Waller had recruited him from the island. He tracked his opponents, like a lion, he could reach their movements before they even made them. It made him dangerous and right now – knowing that Tommy and Felicity were in the club, knowing that could have been hurt or worse – it spurred him on, pushing him more and more.

He glanced up, finding Diggle working his own way through the thugs on the other side of the club, Oliver watched briefly as he kept his own through the fights, barely taking a blow but delivering them perfectly.

Reaching the bar, Oliver landed another blow to one of the thugs by his side, slamming his head into the countertop, now that the shooting had stopped, he could hear Felicity crying, praying that Tommy was keeping her close by.

And that's when he looked up, Diggle had missed someone to the side, a gun raised in his direction, Oliver reached for the first thing he could, the small knife sitting on the bar. Instantly, Oliver lined up the thug, sending the knife in the direction of the gun, hitting his shoulder – sending the gun and himself flying to the ground.

Diggle's head snapped up, movement at his side forcing his attention away from the thug at his finger tips and he watched as Oliver picked up what looked like a knife, a small sliver knife and he watched as it sailed through the air, connecting with the furthest assailant, knocking the gun from his hand. Diggle watched Oliver closely, scrutinizing how he moved, how he fought, how he could hold himself and if Diggle was being honest with himself and wasn't under his own fire – he would have

Diggle's had snapped up, watching the moment that Oliver reached for a small knife that the bar tenders use to cut the fruit for the drinks. He watched as Oliver instantly lined up the guy coming towards him, the knife sailed through the air, hitting the guy directly in the shoulder, sending him flying backwards.

Diggle watched a few moments more, watching the billionaire brat fight like a pro. Diggle watched as Oliver tracked the attackers, easily maneuvering around those coming at him, easily sending them crashing to the floor unconscious or in pain.

Perfect movements to take down the people around him, to protect himself and his friends. This was not a man who had spent his time partying his life away, nor was this a man who spend 3 years alone on an island.

Oliver Queen was a fighter.

* * *

Diggle rubbed his hands together, watching Oliver rub the back of his neck as he spoke to SCPD. He was waiting for his time to reach out, finding it as Detective Lance moved away. There was a space of about 15 minutes of the fight between the thugs and Oliver and Diggle, before the sounds of sirens were heard in the distance, the thugs that weren't unconscious fled, taking their wounded with them.

The SCPD had stormed in, their own guns drawn, calling out for those inside to get down. Diggle and Oliver did as they were told, resting on their knees with their hands up, the huffed-out breaths, the fight having taken energy they weren't expecting. It wasn't until the sound of Felicity squeaking out a cry did Oliver scramble to his feet, ignoring the calls of Detective Lance.

He had skidded behind the bar, resting on his knees, he looked over Felicity, making sure was ok. He let out a deep breath when he found her uninjured, glancing up at Tommy with thankful eyes.

The SCPD had separated them all, asking their questions before leaving them to check out the rest of the crime scene. Slowly Dig mad his way over, standing in front of Oliver. "You know…my sister in law and my nephew were jumped by a couple of thugs a few weeks ago." Oliver looked up at him, his eyes snapping from looking at Felicity who was still talking to an officer.

But Dig continued, "She'd tried to call me but I wasn't even close enough to help her." Dig eyed Oliver, watching for some sort of reaction but he never gave one, Oliver's face stoic and controlled.

He wanted to approach this in the best way possible, wanting to gauge Oliver's reactions. "And when I did get there, the thugs were bound and gagged waiting for SCPD to turn up. Now my nephew tells me this amazing story, a story of a man in green who saved them. Said that he was like a super hero." Oliver only blinked; _hero_ was not the term he would have used for himself.

He blinked, did Dig know it was him under the hood? "There is some real good in a man that risks his life to save random strangers and I for one would love to say thank you to him." Dig turns his back, leaving Oliver with a slightly shocked look on his face. There wasn't a chance for Oliver to speak, Dig clearly wanting to leave him with the food for thought. His eyes follow Dig as he made his way to Tommy, who was still shaken from the incident.

Diggle wandered over to Tommy, finding him easily against the side of the bar. The SCPD had long since left him alone – already taken his statement. Diggle could see the anger in his eyes when he looked towards Oliver, deciding that it might be worth giving him some unsolicited advice. "You alright?" His deep voice seemed to pull Tommy out of his thoughts, his eyes flashing to the larger man by his side.

Tommy nodded, rubbing his hands together, "Yeah. I'm fine." He made a move towards the door, needing space for Oliver. The memory of the gunshots and Felicity's crying echoing in the back of his mind.

But Diggle reached out for him, his hand resting against his arm, "You know…fighting in a war is hard, not ever knowing if you are going to come home-" Tommy turned towards Diggle, eyeing him closely, "—never knowing if you'll ever see your family again. But there is one thing that give you hope, knowing that you family, the people you care about the most, they know what you are doing."

Tommy wasn't sure where Diggle was going with this conversation, he wasn't sure what to take from the man he had just met but who had saved his life and Felicity's. "What's hardest is fighting a war that no one knows about. The war that only you can fight. Those wars – those are the crucible that are fought in darkness. A darkness that takes over because it has to. To be able to survive, that darkness Those are the wars that take the most toll on the soldier. And _those_ wars are the ones that the soldier needs his family the most."

With a short nod, Diggle moved away from Tommy, making a bee line for Oliver who was now standing with Felicity, his hands rubbing her arms. Tommy looked back at Oliver closely, he could see the tense standing of his body, how he would step in front of Felicity a little more when there was loud bang of the entrance door. He was protecting her; he was always protecting her.

Just like he was protecting Thea and his family and all the other families out there in Starling City. This fight he had taken up; he had heard the stories on the news _"Arrow saves family from burning building," _or "_The Arrow has taken down a drug dealer – saving countless lives" _or _"The Arrow stops city bus from colliding with oncoming, putting himself in the middle." _Tommy wasn't stupid, he knew that Oliver was doing good in the city but he also knew that he had dropped bodies in this fight.

But as he watched Felicity smile at Oliver, a small nod of her head before moving away, wrapping her arms around Diggle in a tight _thank you_ hug, Tommy realized that the Ollie Queen he knew was still in there, the one that fiercely loved those around him and that would protect them with everything he had. He was just a little darker than Tommy was used to.

Dropping his head, Tommy moved to stand by Oliver, capturing his eyes for a moment before he nodded towards the office, Oliver understanding instantly. It hadn't taken long for the SCPD to move from the club, they had taken their photos, their statements collected, leaving just him and Oliver alone.

Felicity had long since 'left', whispering to Oliver that she was going downstairs, he could that she needed space, that she needed to find her safe place, Dig had also left, agreeing to be back the next night for his first shift of his new job. He and Oliver had held each other's gaze for a moment, something passing between the two men before Dig closed the door behind him.

Tommy found himself in front of Oliver, he wasn't sure what to say, instead he wanted to keep it simple. "Look…what you do, I don't really understand it but you saved my life tonight. And it's clear what you do is save people's lives."

Oliver nodded; he didn't want to accept that - Tommy was calling him a hero. But he did save lives, that what he was trying to do, taking out Count Vertigo and the drugs would save a lot of lives. "I know I can't do much…unless you need patching up again…but I want to help. Anyway, I can."

Oliver smiled, nodding slowly, "I would really like that Tommy. You know I trust you with my life." Oliver had his two best friends by his side. The alarm bells in his head echoed but he pushed them down. He could protect Felicity and he would protect Tommy. He would die doing it.

* * *

"Hey so I've been meaning to ask you..." Tommy and Felicity had been working away in the bar, setting up the new orders, logging new requests. It had been about a week since the shooting, Tommy was more relaxed around Oliver and had been watching them both when they were together. Felicity looked up from the counter with a raised eyebrow, Tommy was usually a lot more direct than he was being. Her raised eyebrow causing him to laugh a little, nodding to try and force himself

He stopped moving around the bottles, turning to face her, "I know we haven't really had much of a chance to talk about Ollie being back, it has been almost 8 months, but you and Ollie...I know you had feelings for him before he...disappeared...how are you dealing now?" Tommy watched as Felicity froze for a second before she continued working.

She wouldn't look up at Tommy, she kept her head down but she sighed, "Oliver is...I am so happy to have him back - regardless of everything that is happening now - I missed him so much. It's like he never left with us."

Tommy raised his eyebrow, he had long since learnt of how Felicity would try and get out of conversations with him. "That doesn't really answer my question though does it..."

Felicity sighed once more, finally looking up at him. "It's like he never left..." she stressed.

Tommy nodded, he was getting what she was saying, she still had feelings for him, probably more than what she did before he got on that boat. His voice dropped, coming to her side, "Why don't you tell him?"

Felicity laughed, "Yeah, no chance of that happening Tommy. Even now Tommy – people like Oliver Queen doesn't look twice at people like me." She went to move away, she needed to leave this conversation before Tommy could read her any more, she made her way towards the Foundry stairs, Oliver wasn't there and she knew Tommy would leave her alone.

"If it makes you feel any better...I think you are wrong and you really need to talk to him." He called after her, a small smirk on his face as he watched her shake her head. He was right, she needed to talk to him.

* * *

Oliver looked up to see Tommy walking through the Foundry, his eyes still shone in amazement as he did, taking in the world around him. But he was no longer angry with Oliver, he was no long hesitant, he looked at Oliver like the man he remembered, his best friend – just grown up.

"Hey do you have a sec?"

Oliver put down the small arrow head he was working on, giving Tommy his full attention. Felicity had long since left, ignoring Tommy since their conversation upstairs about her feeling for Oliver, but he hadn't heard Oliver arrive.

Tommy came to stand across the table, his fingers brushing over the made arrowheads. "You know, I never realised how good you were with your hands. I mean – you _make_ all this stuff."

Oliver nodded, "Yeah well I didn't have a choice while I was away. I had to make do. Plus buying them leave a trail that the police can follow so…"

Tommy nodded in understanding. "I ah…I know we haven't had a chance to really talk after you came home…about the time you were gone. Obviously, Thea struggled, I know you know that and your mum and dad. But we missed you Ollie, I know that Felicity was there for me the whole time – she'd be there for every drunken phone call or break down."

It was hard for Oliver to hear this, he knew that his absence hurt people around him – but he honestly hoped that they would move on, he wasn't good for anyone. His relationship with Laurel was proof of that.

"But just so you know – Felicity, even before she met her ass of an ex – she struggled as well. Her smile, it was always a little less, a little less bright. We talked on night, sitting in the middle of the dance floor while we ate and drank and planned for the grand opening. She told me that she felt like she didn't have a right to mourn for you. Between your sister and your mother and then me who had known you for our whole lives – she felt like she hadn't been around long enough to be part of that."

_Oh, that hurt to hear. How could she feel that way?_

"But she put on a brave face for everyone Oliver. She took on so much, so much of our pain that we didn't stop to really ask her how she was coping and then, well, she met Cooper and she still hid her pain. She didn't want to seem weak, she felt like she needed to be strong for everyone else in her life."

Oliver sighed; he didn't really know what to say to Tommy but he knew he needed to see Felicity. Tommy continued, "I know you had feelings for her before you left. You were _better_ for her. I know that you tried to be a better boyfriend to Laurel because you were scared of disappointing Felicity. She brought out the best in you and I know you had feelings for her."

Blinking, Oliver wasn't sure where Tommy was going with this conversation, granted at this point, it was all one sided. "I just think that you might want to look back to how happy you were with her. Maybe you need some of that happiness again. Maybe those feelings never really went away."

_Oh, they never really went away, they only got stronger. Oliver may have had feeling for Felicity before the island but he is pretty sure he loved her now. _

Tommy moved away the from the table, placing his hand on Oliver's shoulder as he went. Did he have a point? Are those feelings something he could entertain?

Looking around, Oliver's eyes landed on his suit and his shoulders straightened, _no, he couldn't let himself think about those feelings, he had to keep Felicity safe._

* * *

Oliver stood outside Felicity's door, the ice cream tub under his arm making the rest of his arm cold, it was strange though that he couldn't feel it, he was nervous. He was too nervous, his conversation with Tommy was enough to set him on edge. He told himself that he couldn't entertain his feeling for Felicity but was the one person he wanted in his whole life, she had kept him going all those years on the island and then in Russia and now she was here again, in front of him.

Tommy has mentioned how much she'd struggled without him; how much she'd tried to keep her head up even when it was like her whole world was falling apart. Oliver hate the knowledge that she had tried to hold herself together and he wasn't there.

Then there was the knowledge of her ex-boyfriend.

Oliver has promised Felicity that he wouldn't go after him - granted if Felicity couldn't find him, neither could Oliver – but after finding out about her ex and what had happened Oliver hated himself even more for not coming home when he should have. Maybe if he had been home, he could have helped her. He felt like he hadn't been there for her when she needed it the most. And she had been pushing away any conversation about it now and so he wanted to reach out to her.

Mint Chip ice cream was the way to do it.

Knocking heavily on her door - he wanted a few moments until she opened the door, shocked for a moment before her smile widened. "Hey Oliver...what brings you by?"

Oliver rocked back on his heels, producing the ice cream with a smirk on his face. "I thought we could hang out?" He wanted it to be casual, casually bring up the conversation of her ex and what had happened.

She sighed, rolling her eyes before stepping aside. Oliver had been trying to talk to her more about Cooper since finding out but her had pushed him away, ignoring all desire to want to talk. "Oliver if you wanted to talk about what happened you didn't have to bring me ice cream-" but she reached for the tub, snatching it from him, "-however I appreciate you trying to butter me up."

Oliver laughed a little, moving further into the apartment before taking a seat on her couch, it was always so comfortable being around her.

He watched as she moved around, heading to the kitchen to get spoons for sure. Sitting in that space, her space, Oliver let his mind wander for a moment, thinking of what it could have been like to be with her, to hold her but then he remembered what had happened over the last few years.

All the pain he'd caused, he'd killed people to survive, killed because he had to, killed to save others but he'd also tortured people, he'd allowed that darkness to take hold and there was part of him, a large part, that felt like that darkness had never let go.

He heard her coming back, he blinked realising that having her was the never going to happen but as long as she was in his life - he would be happy. He couldn't bring any more of his darkness into her life, she'd had enough pain and he wouldn't be the one to cause her more pain.

They sat in silence, Oliver had long since slipped to sit on the floor, his arm resting against the couch as he looked up at her. Felicity had curled up on the couch, her feet tucked under her, sharing the tub of ice cream between the two of them in silence.

But that silence was broken when Oliver sighed, he needed to talk to her about this. "I'm so sorry Felicity. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most." Felicity looked down at Oliver, a spoon sitting in her mouth.

Handing him the tub, Felicity pulled the spoon from her mouth, "It's not like you ignored me Oliver. You were stuck on an island. In the middle of nowhere. I think that gives you a pass." But he just watched her, taking his own dig of the tub.

After another moment of silence, she sighed, "You know...I thought about you every day you were gone. I missed you...your friendship, your smile, your happiness."

He grinned brightly at Felicity, it was nice to hear that she missed him, that it was a two way street, "I thought about you all the time as well, the photo of you, me and Tommy was the one thing that survived with me that whole time I was away. I kept it close and I kept it safe." He laughed a little, watching as she made grabby hands for the tub of ice cream.

They fell into easy conversation, the comfortableness settling over them. They talked about how his mother was wanting him to get involved in QC, talked about what direction they would try to go in to find out more about Count Vertigo, Oliver even talked about how Diggle had approached him, basically telling him he knew that Oliver was the hood.

That shocked Felicity for a moment, unsure on how to take the information but then she spoke, "Maybe it'd be good to have a partner out there with you. I mean someone to have you back."

Oliver smiled, his hand reaching out to touch her knee, "You have my back Felicity. Every night that I am out there, you talk me into locations and you keep me safe."

But she huffed, "Oliver, I am a tech girl, Oliver Queen's personal internet researcher if you will…" She leaned forward, placing her hand over his, her voice dropping, "Oliver, you fell down 3 story's the other day because you didn't see the guy behind you. Maybe having someone like Diggle out there, watching your back…it would mean you came home to me…to us…a lot safer than what you are now. Just think about it."

He nodded, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what it would be like it have a partner out there, someone he could fight with but for obvious reasons he never thought that would happen.

It was late when Oliver left, he wanted to do a late patrol and Felicity had to work in the morning. With a brief kiss on her cheek, Oliver was out the door and headed to the Foundry. Felicity had felt all of that kiss on the cheek, it had lingered for a moment, his hand on her shoulder, hers on his hip. She wanted to take more from him, wanted him to give more.

* * *

"We have a new problem…well I don't know if it is a problem per se, a setback maybe? Or a speed bump? Maybe a-"

"Felicity!" Oliver called her attention back to the original comment.

She nodded, "Right so I found out who those guys were…the ones that went all Scarface on the club…" Felicity had all but stormed into the Foundry down stairs, swinging her seat around to sit by her computer. Oliver and Diggle – who had been sparring on the mats and Tommy who had been enjoying watching Oliver get put down a few times – had made their way over to her computer.

Dig had made his way down the stairs one afternoon, Felicity staring at him in complete shock but it wasn't until Oliver stood toe to toe with the darker man, eyeing each other off. It was a moment, Felicity honestly thought Diggle had called the SCPD but he held out his hand for Oliver to take.

The men had done their sizing up, their testosterone flying before it settled, Oliver grasped Diggle's hand tightly, smiling at him. They moved silently towards the training mats, settling into a routine of training, sparring, grunting and sweating.

It was in the back of her mind that Felicity realized that Oliver was standing behind her, shirtless _again, always shirtless_ but she pushed it away, "They work for Adam Hunt or should I say they actually work for The Count but they were contracted to do whatever Adam Hunt wanted." She typed away, bringing up a few searched and told them all the crazy details she had found out.

Like how they had tracked Oliver t the club, how apparently the Count had gone on a rampage when he had found out that the cops had also tracked down Adam Hunt, "Apparently, the Count was counting on Hunt being hidden…ha get it? He was _counting_ on it?" Diggle and Tommy smirked at her tongue in cheek joke, Oliver just blinked, unamused on the outside, rolling his eyes on the inside.

He could not find the funny in the situation, someone had come after him, almost killing Tommy and her, there was no funny in that.

"So why is this a problem? It means we can track them down." He crossed his arms over his chest. _Oh Lord, those muscles_.

Felicity shook her head, she could see his reflection in her computer screen, she pushed forward, "It's a problem because Adam Hunt…and his cronies…are dead. All 6 of them were found, OD'd on Vertigo, in a warehouse last night."

Oliver groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. "I don't understand, why would the Count kill the man who was running his whole operation. With Hunt around, it meant the heat was off the Count, there was nothing tying him to the Vertigo." Diggle wasn't sure what to make of this new information.

Oliver turned his back, trying to process this information. Without Hunt, it put them at square one again with finding the Count. "Because the death of a billionaire scion who seemingly has no connection to the drug Vertigo but is killed by the thugs of a Vertigo dealer would bring too much attention." Felicity had already stood from her seat, forcing Oliver to turn to face her, "Hey…we will find him Oliver. I promise." She placed her hand on his forearm, feeling the warmth of his skin under hers.

With the last comment, Felicity turned and started back at her work, she was trying to get into the medical examiner's report, hoping that the autopsy reports and the police reports might give them some information. Tommy had already headed upstairs, he needed to get the bar started for the night. Oliver and Dig went back to sparring. Oliver's frustrations showing.

It was a long few hours, Dig had long since called it a night, Oliver had headed out for a patrol, already headed back after a few hours, the city was quiet, he wanted to take the night off. When he made his back into the Foundry, he found Felicity standing by his weapon's case, a small smile on her face, she was beautiful. He moved to stand besides, her, his bow resting in his place, his green leather hood pushed back.

Maybe it was the memory of her almost getting hurt a few weeks before when the gunmen had stormed into Verdant.

Maybe it was the fact that he had fallen three stories down an abandoned building the week before and it was her voice that called his focus and got him out.

Maybe it was that she had been patching him up once again after a rough fight, her fingers against his chest, his ribs and shoulder. He could feel her breath against his skin as she worked, bandaging and placing ice packs against his body. Her laughter and concern filling the air as she chatted away with Tommy and Dig.

She amazing him, she astounded him, she was light and happiness and goodness.

She was everything that he missed on the island, everything that he fought to come home to. But she was everything that he couldn't have, he couldn't let his darkness touch her, couldn't let that light she gave off diminish at all. He couldn't bring her down.

He smiled, thanked for her all her work, thanked her for giving up her time for him and thanked her for always being there for him.

"Oh Oliver, you don't have to thank me." She looked up at him, from under her lashes, a small smile on her lips, "You've always been there for me so I'm sure I can handle playing doctor with you." She slapped her forehead, groaning as she turned away from him, her face burning brightly.

Oliver reached out, touching shoulders gently, turning her to face him. Felicity tilted her head as she watched him closely, unsure of what he was doing. But as the silence stretched between them as she leaned up, her lips touching his gently.

He knew the instant it happened, his eyes had long since slipped closed, relishing in the feeling of having her so close, of being able to touch her the way he had dreamed, the way he had fantasized all those nights on the island. She had reached up to him, she had initiated the kiss, she had brought him down to her level so she could take the next step.

His hands had slipped up to her cheeks, holding her gentle, cradling her face in his palms. A sudden feeling of coming home, the first time he had had that feeling in the 8 months since he had returned from the island._ She_ felt like home.

After a moment, their lips came together like they needed the other to breath, he pulled away, the sharp memory of the damage his hands had done a stark reminder of what he did, what his life had become, how much the darkness had touched him, right into his soul. The darkness he couldn't let touch her.

"Felicity…" Oliver sighed, dropping his hands from her face to her hands, he held them tightly, feeling the pain in his own heart that he knew was going to break hers. He shook his head, he shouldn't have let her kiss him, should never have kissed her back, shouldn't have led her on.

"I'm sorry…Because of the life that I lead, I just think it's better to not be with someone that I could really care about." Instantly, her face dropped, two steps back from him her whole world fell apart. "I can't be with anyone." He was now trying to cover himself, he needed to convince himself.

Felicity's whole body changed, her eyes hardening as she watched him, she had been so sure that together they would be taking the next steps but he decided that he was going to pull the rug out from under her once again. Straightening her back, Felicity stared at him, "Well I think you deserve more than no one Oliver."

She moved around him, her shoulder brushing roughly with his as she moved away, silently thankful that they had gotten the inner club door working, the one that led straight up the stairs to Verdant. The minute she was up the stairs, the breath she was holding was released and so were the tears that she had been holding in.

She didn't see Tommy staring at her, worry filling his eyes as she moved across the side wall of Verdant, trying to stay away from the party goers, her shoulders were pulled back into an angry stance, the tears still falling. Tommy wanted to call out to her, he wanted to reach for her but it was clear that she needed air, she didn't want to talk. And so, he made a beeline for the basement, he was going to tear Oliver a new one for upsetting her.

But the minute he was down the stairs and into the landing he stopped, his whole body freezing. Oliver was sitting on the floor against a far pillar, his head down and his hands covering her eyes. "Ollie?" his voice carried, echoing in the silence.

Oliver didn't move, but he was breathing deeply, trying to hold his own emotions. "What happened?" Tommy tried again, moving closer to Oliver's side.

Finally, he looked up, his eyes were dry but there was a sadness there he hadn't seen before. "I am…I told Felicity the truth. That I can't be with her. That I can't be with anyone." He stood quickly, moving past Tommy towards the training dummy that was waiting for him. Tommy watched as Oliver started on his combo of blocks and punches, harder and faster as the memory of his words replayed.

He had been right, he knew he was right when he told her that he couldn't be with her, he needed to believe those words because they were the words that would keep her safe. Keep her light shining brightly away from the pain and the agony of his life and the darkness that had taken over him. But that didn't mean he wanted them to be true. He _wanted _to chase after her, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her once more but he couldn't. He had to hold steady.

Tommy had yet to say anything, just watching his friend punish himself brutally on the dummy. After a few minutes of the only sound was Oliver's thumping and grunting, Tommy spoke, "Maybe it should be her choice Oliver. She loves you." He turned on his heels, heading back the way he came, up the stairs, only pausing when Oliver's voice found his ears.

"It can't be her choice Tommy. Not this time." He went on to continue hitting the dummy, needing to forget about the pain he had just caused.

* * *

It had taken a day or two, a day or two of quietness from Felicity and uneasiness from Oliver after their kiss but they both knew they had work to do. She had been able to get into the medical examiners reports and the police reports, Felicity had been able to track some of the evidence to a second location, a second warehouse on the other side of the Glades. It was where Adam Hunt and the goons had been dosed.

It didn't take long before Oliver was suiting up, calling out a few orders to Felicity and Dig to follow, while he jumped on his bike, the other three hearing it revving in the back of the Foundry before it took off. Oliver was ready to have this finished, once and for all.

The Arrow rushed through the warehouse – standard Wednesday night if he was being honest with himself but the only thing that was different about tonight was that the warehouse, he was in held a large stash of Vertigo. Felicity had informed him on his trip there that she had been able to get a better view of what was inside. He'd informed Felicity to give him 20 minutes before calling SCPD, they could deal with the drugs after he dealt with the thugs.

It wasn't The Count or even a manufacturing warehouse but it was a large quantity of Vertigo and it was going to be off the streets for good plus it might give him the direction he needed to find the Count. He had taken out the first two guards, Diggle set up on the back entrance, it was the first time he and Dig were out in the field together and so far – Oliver was quite happy with how it was going.

"I've got two down on the front entrance." He spoke quietly into his comms.

"I've got two more down on the back entrance." Dig knew what he was doing, he had the back entrance covered.

He moved slowly through the warehouse, picking off targets from behind as he approached them. _"Oliver – you've got two more coming up to your right." _Oh Felicity, always in his ear, even after everything that had happened, she was still there.

He nodded, she couldn't see him but he nodded, moving slowly to his right, eyeing the two guards he was waiting for. But they had noticed him first, turning they aimed their guns and fired, Oliver dodged the bullets easily, two quick steps and Oliver launched himself at the gunmen, knocking them back before he was able to knock them out.

It didn't take him long to take out the rest of the guards, a few bruises and cuts but he had gotten away without too many issues. He'd also found drums of pills, lining the back wall of the warehouse, he'd called for Felicity to call the SCPD, to which they were already almost there. "Dig head out, I'll be following you!"

The siren's started in the distance, he had to move and move fast.

But as he rushed from the building, he could hear the sirens coming closer – it would be moment before the SCPD would be at the building and he was almost free, almost to his bike when he noticed the dirty blonde hair poking out from behind some crates.

He wanted to leave, wanted to ignore it but there was something about it and against his better judgement, the Arrow rushed to the blonde, finding a young girl laying on her side, her face covered.

There was thumping of boots on the ground, calls of the police echoing in the building. Thankfully they were covered by the crates, enough that he could take the moment to look down at the girl, turning her slightly so her head lolled to the side.

He sucked in a deep and shocked breath. He knew that face, recognised those lips and those features. Images flashing back to him, rushing back instantly, memories and words and smiles and laughter. Pain and anger and disgust mixed into those feelings. He knew her, he just thought she was dead.

Brushing his gloved her over her face gently, he let out his breath, shaking as the only word he could think of fell from his lips, confused and shocked.

"Sara?"

Reviews?


	23. Next Steps Forward

**So first up – I am all for comments and reviews and everyone's thought and feelings, I will take criticism where its due BUT only if it's a constructive way, if you don't like something – please tell me. Many have commented on Sara's return and honestly, you've made me think a little more about what I'm going to do with her character after reading those reviews. **

**But I received a review from chapter 21 that wasn't set out in a constructive way and it pissed me off. If you don't like something, don't read it. Those comments have really made me struggle with this new chapter so im sorry that it took so long to write. **

**Please review. Please let me know what you think **

**Chapter 23 – Next Steps Forward**

Oliver rushed to the back of the van, having called Dig back, Sara in his arms rightly. He didn't know why he was doing this; he didn't know why he was taking her but there was no way he going to let her stay there to be found by the SCPD. Dig didn't ask any questions when he loaded her into the back, jumping in behind them before directing Dig back towards the Foundry.

They drove in silence, a million thoughts running through Oliver's head as he looked down at the unconscious woman at his feet. She looked older, much older than what 3 years should have looked like. It didn't take long before Oliver was carrying the still unconscious Sara in to the Foundry, ignoring the strange glances from Tommy and Felicity as he did.

Gently placing her down on the med table that was waiting, Oliver groaned, dropping his head and unzipping his hood. "Ollie…is that…is that Sara Lance?" Tommy's voice carried through the quiet room, Felicity unsure about what to do, she'd never met Sara so this was weird.

He nodded, turning to look at Tommy. That's when he saw the sadness that came with learning that his best friends' girlfriend's sister was still alive. Tommy, Oliver, Sara and Laurel grew up together so for him to see her after all this time – time where her family thought she was dead – was strange.

"I found her in the warehouse. She was there Tommy, looked like she had been with them for a while. I couldn't…I couldn't just leave her there." Tommy nodded, he understood Oliver's need to help her. Sara had taken off after she and Oliver slept together, he blamed himself when he found out she had left, still blamed himself.

"Oliver I'm sorry to be the one to ask but what happens when she wakes up and sees all of this…you don't know anything about her anymore. What if she-"

Oliver turned to face Felicity, a little shocked that she would even question Sara, "I know her Felicity. She wouldn't ever do anything. Even finding out about all this." He motioned around as he looked at her.

It was Diggle who spoke up, "Oliver man, you _knew_ Sara. You don't know what she has been through, you don't really know anything about her now." Diggle crossed his arms over his chest, he was softly spoken, having noticed Oliver's pained voice when speaking about the younger Lance.

Shaking his head, Oliver looked around at the others in the room, shocked and confused about what they were saying but a groan caught his attention, turning towards the med table. "Hey, hey Sara, it's alright…" Oliver was by her side instantly, feeling a rush of relief when she opened her eyes.

Sara blinked, clearly not believing that she was looking back at Oliver, "Ollie?" her voice was soft and rough, she blinked again when he nodded. Slowly she tried to sit up, Oliver resting a hand against her back to help. "What happened? Where am I?"

Tommy, Felicity and Dig all moved further into the view of the other two, Sara's eyes flashing around worried for a second before she settled on Tommy, someone she recognized. "You remember Tommy Merlyn?" Oliver asked watching her nod, "You might not remember Felicity Smoak," Felicity didn't think she had ever met Sara but she smiled anyway, "And that is John Diggle. You are safe here Sara."

Sara slid from the table, staggering a little but Oliver was there to help her. "I remember hearing your name a lot. Ollie used to talk about you." Felicity blushed at hearing that, she had never thought that Oliver would talk about her to the Lance sister.

Sara smirked, "You're cute." Felicity blushed even more.

Sighing, Sara turned out of Oliver's grip, staring at him intently, "You know, I'd heard rumors of a guy in green with a bow and arrow. I would never have guessed it would be you playing Robin Hood, Ollie." She tried to joke but it fell flat in the room, clearly Oliver wasn't happy.

"Sara, what the hell is going on? I find you unconscious in a warehouse that is used for housing Vertigo." He needed answers, he couldn't quite understand how she got to that point.

Moving slowly, Sara took a seat on Felicity's chair, rubbing her face. "After…after what happened with us, Laurel and I fought, worse than we ever had. So, I left. I couldn't stay there anymore Ollie. I bounced around a bit before I fell into a crowd that gave me roof over my head, they gave me a job and kept me safe."

"By selling Vertigo?" Oliver all but scoffed, the Sara he knew would never have let herself sell drugs.

"By teaching me to look after myself Ollie. I had to learn to fight, learn to keep my head up and protect myself. At first it was just packing and then it was selling. They taught me to fight, they liked to fight but they let me track records, money and payments. The lot of it." Oliver turned away. Sara Lance, little Sara Lance was a fighter.

Tommy reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You kept yourself safe." He was trying to reason with her and for Oliver to understand, just like he had to do, she had to keep herself safe.

Oliver turned back to Sara, looking over her, he could see scars on her arms, no doubt from knives and fights, she had been touched by a darkness he recognized, he could see it behind her eyes. It was reflected in his own eyes, something he saw every day when he looked in the mirror.

"So, want to tell me what you have going on here?" She wanted to change the subject and the image around her, the weapons and the computers and the green leather suit that Oliver wore was enough to direct the conversation away from her.

Felicity smiled, piping up excitedly, "Oh, we are Team Arrow." She looked happy to finally be able to use the name, gaining a smirk from Tommy and Diggle.

Oliver's brow furrowed, "We don't call it that." He dismissed annoyed.

But Felicity pursed her lips, "I do…occasionally." She shrugged, moving away from Oliver to lean against the med table next to Diggle. Sara still sitting in her seat at the computers. "We are trying to track down the Count." She tried again, hoping that could cover what needed to be told.

But Sara's eyes flashed towards Oliver, clearly wanting more of an explanation. He sighed, "When I was on the island, I came across a field that was being used to grow the ingredients for Vertigo – I was told that Starling City was home to its production and distribution. I destroyed that field. And then about 18 months later, I had found out that it was back and it was worse."

He came to stand by Felicity, knowing that the others had heard this story before, "When I came home, I made a promise to myself that I would help this city and I would find whoever was selling this stuff – it's killed so many people, it almost killed Thea – and I would stop them. I'm doing what I need to do to save my city."

Sara gasped, it was clear that she didn't know about Thea, "Oh Ollie, I had no idea about Thea. What happened?" She was sad for him, working for the Count was not something she wanted to do but once she was in, there was no getting out.

"It was while I was away. She…she OD'd." Oliver glanced at Felicity briefly, her head was down and he knew that it still bothered her that she was there and did nothing to stop Thea. He placed his hand on the small of her back, a reassuring pressure as a reminder that he didn't blame her.

Sara pushed off the chair, looking around the Foundry, "Do you have any leads so far?" She was thinking she could help them out, she didn't know much, she only knew about those that were in the warehouse but there might be something she could help with. Turning she found Oliver staring at her, "Look Ollie, this isn't what I wanted but once I was in, there is only one way out and to be honest I wasn't ready to die. I can help you." She wanted to help.

Oliver wasn't so sure; he didn't want to involve her any more than she already was but he would be crazy if he didn't take on any advice or insight she might have. "Fine, but you are staying away from this as much as possible. I want you to stay here if we go out."

* * *

It had been close to a week that Sara was back, she had been living in the Foundry, not ready to see her family and not taking up Oliver's offer to stay in the mansion but she had needed her time. There were days when she would be resting on the couch that she would wake up in fear, or reach for the knife that she had kept under her pillow when she had heard any form of movement near her.

Oliver hated seeing her that way, the same way he had been when he slept on the island, or even when he was back. Not trusting where he was or the people around him. Thankfully in the months that he was back, Oliver could now sleep in the room with Felicity and Diggle and Tommy without freaking out. The nightmares still came, waking him in a sweat but there would be no violence, thankfully that part of him had stopped.

Sara had kept herself guarded from the others, not turning her back on Dig, keeping Tommy and Felicity at arm's length, it was for no real reason other than that's how she had survived for 3 years and it's how she felt she would still survive. Until one day Oliver had coming rushing into the Foundry, his thumping steps echoing on the concrete, his ears met with the blasting of music.

He had found Sara hammering away on one of his dummies, wearing only a sports bra and her shorts. She had not expected anyone to there at that time. Oliver watched her for a few minutes, she moved well – better than he ever thought possible from training by street thugs but she was talented and skilled. But it was the scars that caught his attention, the burns on her arms and the healed skin on her shoulders.

She had not spoken much about what had happened to her while she was away but it was clear that whatever had happened, it was not to unsimilar to what had happened to Oliver. He recognized the signs of torture. If he had to guess he would figure that the torture she endured was due to breaking her and building her back up into the fighter they wanted instead of looking for information.

Still all the same – she had scars, she had memories and she had pain from her time away. Stopping her music, Oliver moved further onto the mats, holding his hands up in acknowledgement when she spun to look at him, a hardness in her eyes until she realized it was him. "Didn't mean to scare you…" He spoke softly, he knew that look.

Sara just shook her head, moving back to the dummy but Oliver's hand on her arm stopped her, "Sara, you don't have to do this. I said you could help but you don't need to be any closer to this than just information." She moved back to hitting the dummy, trying to shake off the feeling of having Oliver so close.

It was then she realised that she was safe from those she worked with. She had woken up every morning, sweat dripping from her forehead as flashes crossed her mind. Where was she? Who had her? Was she safe or would she have to fight?

Her arms slowed as his words sunk in, he was trying to keep her safe, something that hadn't happened in a very long time. She had someone who cared about what happened to her, not that she needed someone to look after her but it was nice to know that there was someone. It was then her body felt heavy, did this mean she could sleep better now? Not have to always worry that someone would want to kill her or worse?

Did this mean she could put that life behind her? Did she deserve to put that life behind her? Did she deserve friends or someone who would look out for her? "Ollie…" She leaned into his chest, her shoulder pressed against his sternum. "I've done things that I can never come back from."

Oliver placed his arm around her shoulder, he nodded against her, he knew what that feeling was like. "That's why you have friends. Sara no matter what you did, you did it to survive. We've all done things that we aren't proud of, we've all done things we wish we wouldn't have but right here and right now. You make the decision that will help change who you were."

Sara didn't get the chance to reply, the sound of a clearing throat caught their attention and they looked up to find Felicity watching them, her bag inches from her desk, she looked away, "Sorry to interrupt, I was just coming to get a start on things." She waved towards her computer, taking a seat silently.

She heard Oliver move away from Sara, suddenly talking to Dig and Tommy who had come down the stair's seconds after her. She could hear him talking about Sara, about the plan and about what they needed. Felicity shook her head, a suddenly memory flash of Oliver kissing her taking over her mind but she pushed it back. He had made it very clear why he couldn't be with her and now seeing him with Sara, she really understood.

Sara moved to face the group of men, they had yet to work out how they were going to track down the Count but Sara had been giving it lots of thought, what they already knew and what they didn't know. She stood quickly for a second while she thought, something coming to her.

"I never actually met the Count so I can't give you much on who he is but over the past few months, the city has been flooded with a new version of the drug, more addictive, more unstable. It's killing people at random, even when the doses don't change, the manufactures had been happy because it was clear that the SCPD hadn't been able to work out what it was that was killing them."

Sara was now standing behind Felicity, hoping that maybe she could put that information to use but it was Oliver who spoke first.

He had thought for a minute after hearing Sara's comment, his hand rubbing against his forehead as he thought, but he turned to Felicity instantly, "Can you bring up the formula for the previous Vertigo to this one?" She nodded instantly, turning to type away at the computers.

They fell into easy conversations about what could be happening, but Felicity's voice caught their attention, "They died of severe anaphylaxis. Died of an allergic reaction to Chlorpromazine."

Oliver's head snapped up, he'd heard that name before – his days as a playboy led him to access to many different things, including prescription drugs. Something he was not proud of at all. "That's an antipsychotic. Did they all have Chlorpromazine in their systems?"

He leaned over Felicity's side, looking at the computers, feeling her glance up towards him for a minute, her eyes settling on. She swallowed, "Yes. I have reports of at least the last 6 deaths linked to Vertigo shows that the death was an allergic reaction. The Government Medical Examiners Network is trying to find the link between the other deaths."

Oliver stood straight his eyebrow raising at her, "You hacked into the Government Medical Examiners Network? In the Pentagon?" His voice was shocked, he knew she'd hacked into a lot of places but a Federal Department? That was new.

Felicity leaned back in her chair, turning to look at him, her knees coming to rest against his calves. She raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, who was he to question what she did? "Is this judgement I hear?" He had no right to judge her, everything she did, she did for him and for his mission. He had asked her to help, so he had to know what they meant—

Felicity's inner thoughts were cut off as Oliver placed his hand on her shoulder, a smile on his face and a smile in his eyes, "Pride." Felicity cocked her head to the side, her own smile splitting her lips. That was not what she had expected to hear from him.

"That's good then. Chlorpromazine is prescription only and is heavily tracked by the FDA, we should be able to track where the shipments are going. Plus, whoever is getting this stuff is no doubt doctor shopping, we should see a pattern in doctors." Tommy kept his head down, he was looking mostly at Felicity's research but out of the corner of his eye, he could see the small pause between Oliver and Felicity.

Knowing that Tommy had a point, Felicity turned in her seat back to the computers, typing away to set up a tracking algorithm to run the name of those that had been doctor shopping and any missing shipments of Chlorpromazine. Anything that could point them in the right direction.

"Ollie," Sara placed her hand on his arm, pulling his attention away from Felicity as she worked, "You need to be careful with his guy. A good wine's value is measured by its vintage. The number of years it took to ferment. Vertigo is measured in lives. That's why they call him the Count." Oliver nodded at Sara; he understood the danger that came from fighting this guy – he understood the danger he posed to everyone in the city. That's why he needed to stop him.

It didn't take long before each of them fell into their own work, Oliver and Sara had moved away to talk tactics, Diggle deciding that food was the best option for their no doubt long night ahead, which left Tommy and move around the Foundry doing whatever it was that he needed to do and Felicity was at her computers.

"So Ollie, what's it like coming back?" Sara had placed the arrow in her hand down on the desk, she and Oliver had moved together, falling into step easily enough. By now Sara hadn't really talked to Oliver, granted they had jumped right into Vertigo and the Count.

Sara had always imagined what it would be like to see Oliver again, but now that he was here, she couldn't believe it. Oliver's movements stopped at her question, placing the arrow very gently down. He looked up at Sara and the look in her eyes reflected the same he had when he had come back, the broken and damaged version of himself. The version he still saw when he looked in the mirror.

Sara had to learn to fight to stay alive. She had to fight to keep her head above water, he saw a mirror image of himself in Sara, a connection that he never thought he would have and probably wished he did. Sighing, he dropped his shoulders, "Coming back was the one thing I dreamed of most. Seeing Tommy and Thea and Felicity again, I held onto them so tightly that when I was-" he cleared his throat, struggling to speak, "All that time on the island, plotting my return, I didn't realize how hard it would be. To reconnect with mum, Thea, Felicity. I didn't know how painful it would be to keep my secrets."

Sara sat against the desk, watching as a part of Oliver snapped, he had been holding this back for so long, she knew why. Even just seeing how he interacts with Tommy or Felicity after a short time being back, she could tell why he didn't want them to find out. "When I told Felicity who I was, I thought she would have run the other way, same with Tommy. I never planned on telling but it was getting too hard, I was hurting them too much."

"Well then Ollie, that's why we have friends right? You just…you gotta let someone in." Sara smirked at him, knowing he would hate her using his own words against him but she was right. "I stuck around a little bit after you got on that boat and when I saw what losing you did to Tommy and Felicity; I knew that they would give anything to have you back. And now you are back. Reconnecting will come, just look at you and me. I've been back a week and it's like nothing ever happened."

It was not lost of Sara that she should have been taking her own advice. She needed to reach out to her family, to Quinten and Laurel but she couldn't, bot yet. It was too soon for her. Oliver knew this, as much as he had tried to get to at least go and see her father but she was adamant about waiting.

* * *

Tommy sat off to the side of the group, he could see Oliver, Sara and Digg sparring with each other, they fitted in together well, moving easily. He could tell that Sara and Oliver has settled into a routine together over the last week since she and been found, almost like when they were kids again. He, Sara and Oliver had fallen back into their old routines, laughing, joking. It was easy for them.

But what came easy to the three of them, or the others as they sparred together, Tommy had noticed that it had not come easy to Felicity. He could tell that she was unsure, she was quiet and holding herself back. She tried though, tried to bring herself into their conversations but when the three talked about scars and injuries and how they got them, Felicity fell by the way side, moving back to her computers and let herself get absorbed by what she knew.

"Hey...you ok?" Tommy leaned over her chair, his hand resting on her shoulder. He felt Felicity sigh against him, her own hand covering his as she looked over her shoulder quickly, Tommy following her eye line. Digg had moved away from the training mats, leaving Oliver and Sara by themselves, poking and touching each other's scar, laughing about one thing or another.

Was she jealous?

Yes, she was but it wasn't the attention that Sara was getting, she liked Sara, liked having her around and liked getting to know her. But she missed having Oliver around, he was her best friend and well if she was being honest, she was feeling a little left out.

"Hey so I had an idea..." Sara's voice pulled Tommy and Felicity to turn to look at the training mats, a shared glance between them, something that Oliver did not miss but did not comment on. Dig had made his way back to the mats also by this time.

Felicity has spent the last day trying to make the connections she needed to to find where the Chlorpromazine, it was harder than she was expecting, there were lots of doctors and lots of places that the drug could have been obtained and lots of people who were prescribed it.

The time she was taking trying to figure it out gave Tommy time to restock the medical supplies and gave Oliver, Sara and Diggle a chance to bond. Bond of fighting, scars and war stories.

Felicity had felt herself push a side a little more in the last few days, conversations were always around what Sara had been able to do, once even taking over Felicity's computers and hacking into a medical clinic without her help.

That had put her on the back foot, her face falling and her hands tablging together in nerves as she watched Sara work her way through the systems. Tommy had noticed the chance in her, Diggle also but Oliver was unaware, he just leaned over Sara's shoulder and smiled. Telling her she did a good job and the information she found would be really helpful.

Yes, Felicity was jealous but it was also about herself, if Sara could hack into systems and kick ass, what did the team need her for?

Suddenly there was 5 of them, a team of misfits really, waiting to hear what the next steps of their plan may be. "Felicity, you said you haven't been able to find what the link between Queen Consolidated and Vertigo is-"

"Yet! I haven't been able to find the link _yet." _Felicity raised her hand in defence but her voice quietened. It was a defence she realised she didn't need to hold. But then again, she felt like she needed to defend herself and her lack of information.

Sara smiled lightly at Felicity, "Well how about you go into the belly of the beast. Get the info right form the source."

"I can tell you right now that a lowly IT girl like me, will not be privy to any information that comes from QC about a drug. I haven't been able to find anything on QC's servers anyway." Tommy nodded away with Felicity. "Besides, everything I can access from QC I can hack from here so..." she motioned back towards her computers, missing Oliver's smirk at her hacking into his family's company, she had never outright said she was hacking QC but he figured she would have at some point.

Sara nodded, Felicity was right, "The lowly IT girl is right but the CEO will have access to all information of everything that QC has been involved with. On and off the books."

Oliver's head snapped up; she couldn't be serious. "Sara..."

"No think about it, Ollie. It would put you right into the middle of the action, no more excuses to try and get information. It would just be there."

Dig stepped up, "I'm confused. What are you saying Sara?"

"I'm saying that Ollie needs to take over as CEO of QC and that will give you guys the in that you need. Access to all the information on and off the system." Tommy scoffed, he knew how much Oliver didn't want to take over as CEO, no matter the situation.

Oliver rubbed the heels of his palms over his eyes, he groaned, "There has to be an easier way... I can't just become a CEO."

"But you can fill in a trainee. Walter is going away for six weeks to Australia. Tell him you want to get experience in the company. Your mother has been wanting to you take over and you and I both know that Walter wants to move away from QC soon. It's the perfect opportunity Oliver." Felicity was how standing in front of Oliver, a small smile on her face, the same one that he had come to know and love.

Slowly he shook his head, "Felicity..." he wasn't sure if this was the right way of going about it but he also worried he couldn't pull it off. Not alone.

"Hey...I know that this isn't what you wanted. Running QC is not what you want but Oliver, this could give us the in we need. You are incredible intelligent Oliver. I know you can go this. I trust you - we trust you. You won't be doing this alone."

Sighing, Oliver looked up to Dig and Tommy with a raised eyebrow. Rolling his head to the side, Oliver sighed once more, he glanced over to his side, his eyes fell on the dark green suit that sit in the glass cabinet.

Sadly, it was not the suit he would have been able to wear to the office.

* * *

Felicity stepped into the busy police station, she could see officers and detectives rushing around, answering phones and speaking to people. There was a lot going on, much like the last time she had been in this police station and it was a little overwhelming but she had to do this.

Straightening her shoulders and lifting her head high, Felicity moved closer to where she could see Detective Lance, he was waiting for her outside the room. "You sure you want to do this?" He worried about her, of course he worried about her but Felicity was strong she _needed_ to do this.

Nodding quickly, she swallowed, "Yes. I need to face him Detective. He is here and I need to see him. Lance nodded, opened the door for Felicity to walk though, her head held high. He didn't scare her. Not anymore.

Slowly she made her way inside, her eyes focusing on Cooper instantly. He sat handcuffed to the bench, his face stoic but his eyes shone as he watched her coming his way. There was silence through the room, neither speaking but both watching the other closely.

Felicity sat opposite Cooper, taking him all in. From his dark hair to his bright eyes, she remembered what it was about him that made her fall for him almost instantly as she watched him but as she continued to look over him, she found herself remembering the instant everything had changed, her eyes hardened.

She really didn't know what to say to him, Felicity hadn't really thought that far ahead but she wanted to face him, wanting to show him that she was ok, that he didn't break her. "I wasn't expecting you to be here…" Felicity sucked in a breath at the sound of his voice, bringing back memories as he spoke but she was stronger than he thought, stronger than he ever expected.

"I'm not scared of you Cooper if that's what you think. I'm not here for you, I'm here for me." She sat forward, placing her hands on the bench as he leaned back, a little taken aback by the strength in her voice, the assuredness.

Cooper smiled at her, nodding a little, "I can see that. You've grown a backbone there Felicity, I'm proud of you." He leaned forward also, bringing himself a little closer to her but she wouldn't move back. She wouldn't give him an inch to think he scared her.

She let the silence envelope them once again, a small smile coming to her lips after a few moments, "You know what Cooper, I actually didn't know what I would when I came here. When I got the call to say you were here, I didn't want to come. I was going to walk away and never look back but then I realised something. If I didn't come here, I would never get the chance to tell how I feel."

Cooper sat back, the links in the handcuffs clinking against the bracket holding them.

"You took something from me Cooper. You tried to make me afraid of myself and what I am capable of. You tried to break me but you didn't. You make have taken something from Cooper but I found something much stronger. In my friendships. I found strength in them and I found strength in myself."

As Felicity rose from her seat to leave, she could feel the lightness from her shoulders, Cooper was in cuffs, he wasn't roaming around the streets, he was going to be locked up and it made her smile. She had always trusted Tommy and Oliver to help her if she needed it but seeing for herself that Cooper wasn't going to be able to hurt her was enough to satisfy her.

Quickly, as she stood, Cooper's hand shot out and wrapped around her left wrist, holding it tightly. Felicity gasped, trying to pull herself away from him but he held her tightly, his hand tugging towards him, "You think you can stop what is happening to this city? You can't." And this with a small shove, Copper let go over her wrist, letting Felicity pull it towards herself as she watched him.

Not knowing what to think or to say, Felicity dropped her arms to her side, squaring her shoulders out. "You know what Cooper, there were times I was too scared to turn my back on you, I would always wonder if that would be the day you would stab me in the back – quite literally speaking – but standing here today with you, knowing that I have friends at my back, makes me just realize that I don't have to be afraid of you, or anyone else. Because I don't need anyone else to show me that I need to be strong."

Felicity moved to the door, her hand stretched out on the handle, she turned back towards him, "Thank you for showing me that I am stronger than you ever believed, that I am capable and loved. That is something you will never know Cooper and honestly for a moment that makes me a feel just a little sorry for you." She paused for a second, turning the handle of the door and pulling it ajar before she turned back to him for a second, "And now it's gone."

Swinging the door open, Felicity smiled as she walked back into the open space of the police station, a smile on her face as she came face to face with Detective Lance, who was also smiling. "You ok?"

Nodding, "Yeah I am." And she was, Felicity was feeling good after seeing Cooper, she'd thought that it would have affected her more but seeing him didn't and she was glad that she was strong enough to front up to him. With one quick nod, Felicity move around Lance, she had to get back to the Foundry, they had a plan to work on.

As she moved away from him, she looked up and stopped, her eyes focusing on Oliver standing off to the side, leaning against the wall of the station with his hands in his jean's pockets, a small smile on his face.

The last few weeks had been tense between the two of them, with Sara back and how she was fitting into the team – Felicity wasn't a jealous person usually, she liked Sara, just part of her felt left out. Not that she would ever tell Oliver that.

But he was here, standing there waiting for her and he didn't look tense. He looked calm and relax – nothing like she would expect him to be, considering who she had just seen. It confused her a little, Oliver was usually such a tense person. Moving slowly to his side, she found that Oliver's smile grew a little more, pushing himself off the wall. "You ok?" He whispered when she came to his side.

And with a bright smile Felicity nodded, her eyes lighting up as she did. "You are so strong Felicity; you were always so strong." He was reminding her of all the times she was the one holding him together. But the difference was right now – Oliver was there for her. It had been a few since they had talked, Oliver and Sara had become close, similarities in the past 3 years had brought them closer but Oliver was there with her now.

She had her best friend back.

Reaching out her right hand for him, Oliver took it and let her lead him from the station. They walked in silence out in the sun for a few moments, Felicity still smiling to herself as she went. "I am so proud of you Felicity. I know I haven't shown it in the last few weeks, I know having Sara around has changed things-"

Felicity stopped, turning on her heels, she looked at him, "No Oliver. It's fine. I mean, you and Sara, you have so much in common and I guess it makes it easier so connect with someone who has had the same experiences as you. I'm happy that you are happy with her-"

But Oliver shook his head, reaching out he touched he elbow, letting his hand slide down her arm to reach for her hand right hand once more. "Felicity - Sara and I aren't together…" Felicity just blinked, a small part of her relaxing at the thought that Oliver and Sara weren't together. "Come on…how about we order some Chinese and watch a movie."

Felicity smiled, taking his hand, Felicity lead him from the station. Chinese and a movie sounded good

**Any Love? :D**


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